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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26049916">Happily Ever After??</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScrambledCereal/pseuds/ScrambledCereal'>ScrambledCereal</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Catra's kind of a bitch, Emotional Manipulation, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Future Fic, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Panic Attacks, Peer Pressure, Post-Canon, Useless Lesbians, maybe smut later</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-10-26</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 09:55:23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>23,307</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26049916</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScrambledCereal/pseuds/ScrambledCereal</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>With the Horde defeated, Catra and Adora can finally live out the peaceful life they've always dreamed of. No war, no threats, no worries. Everything is perfect... or so Adora thought. What happens when Catra doesn't sit right with their happily ever after?</p><p>Glimmadora AU</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora/Catra in the beginning, Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra), Netossa/Spinnerella (She-Ra), Perfuma/Scorpia (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>58</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Just Friendly Advice?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Tfw you read a bunch of glimmadora content and decide to write your own lol</p><p>No strict posting schedule</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>This. This is what Adora wanted. All those years of blood, sweat, and tears with battles, betrayals, and loss had led up to this moment. The moment where she gets to wake up beside the person she loves the most. Not from alarm bells and screams of people in danger, but from the gentle light spilling through the window as the sun rose in the east. Another day in paradise. </p><p>As Adora blinked the sleepiness away, she could feel the tips of Catra’s fur tickling her exposed skin. Last night had gotten particularly steamy, resulting in both of them falling asleep in the buff. Not that she minded; it only gave her more to look at. The blonde shifted to face Catra, who was currently positioned with her back toward Adora. She reached over to drape an arm over the magicat, all the while peppering her neck with gentle kisses.</p><p>Catra groaned, shrugging Adora off her body while covering her head with a pillow. Adora giggled. </p><p>“Good morning to you, too,” she hummed, running her fingers through Catra’s shortly cropped hair. Over the months, it had begun to grow out slightly, though Adora was sure it was out of laziness rather than intentional planning. Either way, she didn’t care. She loved Catra all the same.</p><p>As if sensing that Adora was thinking about her, Catra slowly stretched her arms out, shimmying out of the blankets to sit up and look at the blonde. It was hard not to. While her lower half was still concealed beneath the sheets, her bare chest was exposed for Catra to see. And, much to her surprise, she was finally out of the stupid little pony tail she insisted on wearing everyday. Now, it spilled freely over her shoulders. Cute. </p><p>“Hey, Adora,” the feline purred, continuing to stretch.</p><p>Brilliant blue eyes met those of the bicolored feline’s. “Hey, Catra. You sleep well?”</p><p>“Yeah,” she answered while smacking her lips. “Why are you looking at me like that?”</p><p>Adora smiled and pushed some of the hair out of her face. “Am I not allowed to look at my girlfriend?”</p><p>“I didn’t say that. You just have this dumb little expression on your face kind of like the one you had before we-”</p><p>“Catra!” Adora blushed and playfully hit the feline’s arm. Catra finally flashed a smug grin. Getting Adora riled up was her favorite. </p><p>“You’re a handful, you know that?” </p><p>“You love me,” Catra shrugged. Adora simply shook her head as she tossed off the covers and got up from the bed. Bicolored eyes immediately wandered over Adora’s chiseled features. Just the sight of the blonde’s physique was enough to start a fire in her belly she ached to quench. Adora was apparently watching the gears turning in Catra’s head, because she walked around the side of the bed and planted a kiss on her forehead.</p><p>“Not right now, I’m afraid. We have to get ready. There’s another meeting today, remember?”</p><p>Catra scowled and sank back into the blankets, her mood instantly ruined. “Do we <em> have </em>to? Those things are always boring.”</p><p>“It’s important,” Adora stated while walking to their closet and choosing some clothing. “Horde Prime and his army may be gone, but we still need to address what we’re doing with the Fright zone. Scorpia’s here from Plumeria to discuss possible inauguration, too.”</p><p>“They can do that without us,” Catra peeked out from under the blankets, only to be disappointed that the blonde was already dressed.</p><p>“Technically, yes. Though, as members of the Princess Alliance, our attendance should be mandatory unless absolutely necessary.”</p><p>“We saved the frickin world. Scrap that. The entire <em> universe. </em> Can’t we get a break?”</p><p>Adora frowned, turning to the feline still covered by blankets. “Catra, you know we still have duties here. We had more than enough time to relax when we took that trip to Mystacor last week. This is just one meeting. There’s nothing else planned today. I’m sure you, of all people, can manage that.”</p><p>“Sure, I <em> can. </em> Doesn’t mean I <em> want </em> to, though.”</p><p>“Catra,” Adora crossed her arms. </p><p>“What? I’m not doing anything wrong. I just don’t really see the need of me attending this dumb meeting,” the magicat lifted her hands up in defense.</p><p>“So you say you don’t want to go. What will you do instead, then?” the blonde said, expectantly. </p><p>Catra shrugged, looking out the window. “I don’t know. Go on a walk. Annoy some stuck up guards. Train. Literally <em> anything </em>but a boring meeting.”</p><p>Adora pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you seriously going to be like this?”</p><p>“Be like what?” Catra leaned forward, a hint of a smile on her face.</p><p>“Difficult? Childish?”</p><p>“I’ll accept those,” Catra fell back into the bed with a <em> thud. </em>“You can let me know what happens later.”</p><p>Adora sighed. Knowing Catra, there would be no convincing. Once she made up her mind, she was unstoppable. Before, Adora admired this trait. Now… now it seemed as if that very trait was causing so much tension between them. Catra never wanted to do anything. Well, anything princess related. It was understandable, initially. After all, they were on opposite sides not too long ago.</p><p>However, the list of things she disliked only continued to grow. First, it was only paperwork she detested. So they sent her on recon teams to help rebuild destroyed towns. She didn’t like that either. Glimmer even went as far as offering Catra a rank within her army to train guards. She declined. Now, Catra was beginning to resent their weekly meetings.</p><p>Adora didn’t <em> want </em>to get upset. She just wanted Catra to be happy. For Catra to feel as at peace as she was. Perfuma said that everyone finds their calling in different ways. That’s why Adora was determined to find anything that Catra took a liking to. Currently, the only activities Catra really enjoyed were the ones where she and Adora undressed. It didn’t bother her too much to indulge in Catra’s desire, but she wanted a more permanent solution.</p><p>“Okay. You don’t have to come to <em> this </em> meeting. The <em> next </em>meeting, on the other hand, I would really appreciate it if you came with me. Please. I feel better with you there with me.”</p><p>Catra locked eyes with Adora. If it were up to <em> her </em>, she wouldn’t attend any meetings. She had stopped caring weeks ago. The only reason she went was because of Adora. She would beg with those puppy dog eyes and promise Catra a reward for her compliance if she looked unconvinced. Plus, now that they were dating, it was expected that Catra should be supportive in whatever Adora was doing. Something about girlfriend responsibilities or whatever.</p><p>“Fine,” Catra gave in. </p><p>Adora beamed and went to Catra’s side, kissing her forehead. “Thank you. I’ll come back when the meeting is over.”</p><p>“Yeah, yeah,” Catra waved her off. “If I’m not here, find Melog and they’ll take you to me.”</p><p>“Okay. Be safe,” Adora sighed, giving Catra’s a hand a squeeze one last time before exiting the room. Hopefully this meeting would go quick.</p><p>-</p><p>Glimmer was the first to call Adora out. Adora had entered the discussion with a cluttered head, meaning she quickly zoned out during Scorpia’s ramblings about half an hour ago. Too much going on in her mind about Catra to focus on the meeting, which wasn’t the best for her situation right now.</p><p>“..Adora?” the queen said for the third time in a row. Adora shook her head and blinked several times at the purple haired woman. She stared at the blonde expectantly. “What’s your input on the refugee situation?”</p><p>“The what now?” Adora glanced around nervously. She could hear Mermista’s disappointed sigh from across the room.</p><p>“Have you even been paying attention?” Glimmer asked, trying to hide the frustration in her voice.</p><p>“Uh, yeah! I have. I’ve just been really lost in thought, you know? Lot’s of thinking and all that. Don’t worry, totally paying attention,” the blonde quickly rattled off.</p><p>The queen quirked an unconvinced brow, though didn’t press further. “Alright, then. What do you have to say about this new law proposed?”</p><p>Adora felt a bead of sweat trickle down her back as she flicked her gaze to all the other members in the room. All of them held neutral faces. She couldn’t tell if everyone was for or against. With a gulp, she made a choice.</p><p>“I-I think that we could give it a chance,” the answer came off like a question. The rest of the alliance leaned over to the person next to them and whispered things Adora couldn’t hear. </p><p>“I agree,” Perfuma added, standing up. “We should give clones and former Horde soldiers sanctuary here. We’ve seen with our own friends,” she gestured to Adora. “Many didn’t purposefully join that evil place because they wanted to. They manipulate children from a young age to become brainless followers. With love and guidance, they can become new members of our society.”</p><p>More whispers and looks. Mermista didn’t stand to contest, but piped up her own opinion, nonetheless. “Uh, what if the former Horde soldiers are like, still evil? Then we bring them right to our doorstep, which is like, bad.”</p><p>Frosta jumped on the table. “Then we can kick their butt with these babies!” she shouted, forming ice fists and pumping them in the air. </p><p>“Everyone, please, quiet down,” Glimmer announced. “Frosta, we hear you. Please get down from the table, now. We can discuss this without damaging the furniture.”</p><p>Frosta grumbled as she slid back into her seat. Next to her, Netossa placed a hand on her shoulder. “No, no, you’re on to something,” she said to Frosta, who smiled. “We don’t know if all those who take refuge here, or any kingdom, are inherently good. Mermista is right. Then we lead them right into our own homes.”</p><p>Spinerella took her wife’s free hand in her own. “I agree. We need a plan to filter out those who aren’t here for rehabilitation.”</p><p>Beside Glimmer, Bow nodded, jotting down the notes from their discussion. He handed the papers to Glimmer, who briefly glanced at the writing.</p><p>“You all make valid points. I believe we should think of ideas to deal with this issue and talk about them next week,” everyone nodded in agreement. “Scorpia, we should begin preparing an official inauguration for you in the incoming month.”</p><p>The white haired woman smiled. “Aw, shucks, you guys are great.”</p><p>“Well, if we have no further questions, that will conclude this week’s meeting. Thank you all for coming.”</p><p>The rest of the princesses rose from their chairs, entering conversations with one another as they filtered out of the room. Adora got up to leave, too, but was intercepted by Glimmer. The queen materialized in front of the blonde, blocking her path to the door. “Ah ah ah! Not so fast. We’re having a talk first.”</p><p>“Wait, what?” Adora managed to say before Glimmer grabbed her arm, teleporting out of the room. When they reappeared in Glimmer’s room, Adora nearly tripped and face planted onto the ground. Glimmer sighed and waited for Adora to regain her balance before crossing her arms and starting her interrogation.</p><p>“Mind telling me what that was all about? You didn’t make a peep all morning.”</p><p>Adora nervously fiddled with her shirt collar. “I.. I have a lot on my mind right now. I’m sorry I didn’t contribute much to the meeting today. There’s something- <em> someone </em>that I can’t quite figure out how to fix.”</p><p>Glimmer’s look softened as she guided her friend to the chez lounge. “Is it about Catra?”</p><p>“How did you know?” the blonde gaped.</p><p>Glimmer gave a knowing smile. “You think I wouldn’t notice that she didn’t show up today? The second you entered the room alone I knew something was up.”</p><p>“Oh,” Adora blushed, rubbing the back of her neck. “Was it that obvious?”</p><p>“You kept glancing back to the door like you were waiting for someone to come in. I know that look anywhere. You miss her, don’t you?”</p><p>“Yeah..” Adora trailed off, staring off into the distance. Glimmer, not wanting to lose Adora’s focus, tentatively reached for the blonde’s hands. She grabbed both of them, raising them to her chest.Adora’s baby blues raised to meet their lavender counterpart.</p><p>“Hey, it’s okay to miss her. You’re not the only one worried about Catra.”</p><p>“I know. I know..” she mumbled. “I just.. I’m at a loss. I don’t know what else to do, Glimmer. She doesn’t take to anything, nothing appeals to her. I want her to be happy, that’s all.”</p><p>“She <em> is </em>happy,” Glimmer reassured her. “She’s just having a little trouble settling, that’s all. Remember how you were when you first came here?”</p><p>Memories flashed before Adora’s eyes as she went over her first encounter at Brightmoon. It took her weeks to properly become comfortable with all the odd customs. When she brought Catra to Brightmoon, she always assumed that the transition would be easier since they had each other. Unfortunately, that hypothesis did not turn out to be correct.</p><p>“I slept with a knife under my pillow,” Adora smiled at the silly recollection.</p><p>“Ugh, I know! Do you know how scared I was that you’d accidentally cut yourself while asleep?”</p><p>The two girls chuckled together at the fond memories. Adora took back her hands and put them behind her to lean back. “Don’t get me started on your beds.”</p><p>Glimmer eyed her playfully. “We had to make a bed <em> specifically </em>for you and Catra that was hard and flat like the ones you used to have, so shush.”</p><p>“Yes, <em> your majesty,” </em>Adora said, slyly. </p><p>“Don’t you dare,” Glimmer warned. She had enough of being called <em> your highness </em> and <em> your majesty </em>by her subjects. The last thing she needed was for her friends to adopt the annoying formalities. “I can just as easily replace all the furniture in your room with fuzzy, purple cushions.”</p><p>“You wouldn’t!” </p><p>“I think you underestimate my capabilities,” Glimmer stuck her tongue out. Adora giggled again, feeling the tightness in her muscles relax after being tense all morning. This was exactly what she needed. </p><p>“Hey, Glimmer?” Adora said, quietly. The other woman saw the change in emotion in Adora’s face and immediately adapted a more serious one.</p><p>“Yeah?”</p><p>“Thanks. For all of this,” she said, sheepishly. “I really needed a distraction.”</p><p>“Oh, Adora,” Glimmer scooted forward, wrapping Adora in a tight embrace. “I’m always here for you. Whatever you need. If you ever want to talk or anything, I’ll be there. Doesn’t matter what I’m doing. You’re important.”</p><p>Adora paused for a moment, then melted into Glimmer’s arms. It felt so <em> warm. </em> Safe. Comforting. Everything a hug should feel coming from your closest friend. She instinctively buried her face in the crook of Glimmer’s neck, inhaling the sweet smell of vanilla that lingered there. Adora was always fond of it, not that’d she’d ever admit it.</p><p>“You and Catra will work through this. She’ll find her calling, eventually. Right now, you just need to be supportive. You’re amazing at doing that,” Glimmer continued. </p><p>“Glimmer!” Adora whined, obviously flustered at the compliment. Glimmer smiled to herself as she saw Adora’s cheeks turn a light shade of red. </p><p>It was.. cute. Was she allowed to think that? Bow called Catra cute all the time and it wasn’t awkward. And yet, with Adora, it felt different. When she blushed, Glimmer could feel her heart skip a beat. Her laugh was music to her ears. Glimmer could never get enough of it. If she didn’t know any better, she could swear she had a… no. Adora was with Catra. She wouldn’t think about that about her best friend.</p><p>Was hugging crossing the boundaries? Glimmer slowly detached herself from Adora, though kept a hold of her forearms. “You should find her. Tell her about how you feel about all this.”</p><p>Adora hesitated. “What if she doesn’t want to listen?”</p><p>“Adora,” Glimmer said, sternly. “She’s your <em> girlfriend. </em>That’s her job. To listen to your feelings. She cares about you. She would want to know about this.”</p><p>The blonde nodded, taking a deep breath to stabilize herself. “You’re right.”</p><p>“I know,” Glimmer tossed her nonexistent long hair over her shoulder. </p><p>Now it was Adora’s turn to give a big hug to Glimmer. “You’re the best.”</p><p>Glimmer had to fight the heat rising to her cheeks as she reciprocated the gesture. Was her tongue always this heavy? “Anything for you.”</p><p>Adora smiled and rose from the chez lounge. “I’ll tell you how it goes, later.”</p><p>“Looking forward to it. Good luck! You can do this!” </p><p>“Thanks, Glimmer!” Adora called over her shoulder, hurrying out of the room. Glimmer waved until she was out of sight and decompressed into the cushions. Why was she so flustered all of the sudden? Adora didn’t do anything differently. Perhaps her moon blood was early. That always made her hormonal. Glimmer silently wrapped her arms around herself, reminiscing in the ghost of Adora’s strong arms around her.</p><p>She had an inkling this new feeling was going to make everything a lot more complicated.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Midnight Drama</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Another trait Adora had long since known about Catra, was that if she didn’t want to be found, she simply </span>
  <em>
    <span>would not be found. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Untrue to her word, Melog was nowhere to be found either, making it impossible to, in turn, find Catra. Of course, Adora could scour the entire castle top to bottom or go into the surroundings woods, but part of her wasn’t that dedicated to finding Catra with such an unimportant topic. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because of that, Adora decided that she would wait for Catra to come to her. More specifically, waiting for Catra to come to bed for the night. They both came to a silent agreement that no matter their schedule, they’d eventually come back to bed to unwind together. Adora needed the comfort of another body to sleep and was pretty sure Catra enjoyed it too, even if she didn’t say it aloud.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as night fell, Adora excused herself from whatever meaningless task she was doing and escaped to her room. She kept the door and window unlocked, unsure which Catra would try to use this time (once she found Catra stuck on the outside wall because the window was bolted shut). Her initial plan was to wait on the bed and confront Catra when she decided to make her grand entrance. Although, sitting still never worked for the blonde.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Waiting patiently turned into starting a deep clean of their room. The desk could use a little dusting, papers needed to be filed, and Catra left her fur in the tub again. How could Adora leave that be? Besides, a little tidying up never hurt anyone. She was in the middle of scrubbing down their sink when she heard someone clear their voice behind them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Having fun?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora happily jumped to her feet, tossing the loose strands from her face as she looked at.. Glimmer? It was the queen, not Catra, who stood at the doorway of her bathroom. She was in her purple night robe and slippers, peering amusingly at the blonde scrubbing away at the porcelain sink. Adora awkwardly glanced at the brush and soap in her hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you know what time it is?” Glimmer asked, hiding a yawn with her hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No? Did I wake you? I’m sorry,” Adora quickly set down the cleaning supplies on the counter and wiped down her hands.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer shook her head, trying to shake the fatigue away. “Not at all! Don’t worry, I was actually about to head in myself. I saw your light was still on so I thought I’d see what the deal was,” a tired smile crawled up her face. “You rarely stay up this late.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You doing okay? Is there a reason you feel the need to clean your bathroom at..” she squinted outside. “..Midnight?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You know how it is,” Adora chuckled, uneasily. “Getting those nightly urges to suddenly clean up your area. Can’t sleep in an untidy room! Just a former Horde thing, you know?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Riiiight,” the queen leaned against the door frame. “Because everyone knows you can’t properly get a good night’s rest unless the room is spotless.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Exactly!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer sighed, forgetting how clueless her friend was. “Adora, you know you don’t have to hide that you’re worried about Catra.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora bit her lip, turning to the side to avoid looking at the purple haired woman. Glimmer knew her too well to lie. She could always see through Adora’s facade of perfection. It wasn’t a bad thing, obviously. She didn’t use that maliciously. Rather, Glimmer never bought the bullshit Adora tried to mask her anxiety with. She was perhaps the only person other than Catra to do so.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I.. I don’t want to sleep without her,” Adora finally answered, truthfully. “I don’t feel right until she’s with me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pained expression on Adora’s face made Glimmer’s heart ache. She hated seeing Adora crestfallen like this. Whenever blue, Glimmer yearned to tend to her tall friend. The maternal part of her wanted to diss Catra for causing Adora’s sorrow, but she knew better than to think that way. Catra was Adora’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>world. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was all she talked about, day and night. The history those two had was something deeper than Glimmer could never understand, so she had to respect it.. even if she didn’t agree with it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, it would weigh heavily on her conscious if she left Adora alone like this. She had to do </span>
  <em>
    <span>something. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know it’s difficult for you to sleep without Catra next to you,” Glimmer hesitated. “And I know I can never replace her.. but if you ever need another person in the room with you, I’m right down the hall. Think of it like the sleep overs we used to have, except just with you and me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora blinked, turning the offer over in her mind before frowning. “Wait, I thought Bow stayed with you now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>was a question Glimmer wasn’t expecting. </span>
  <em>
    <span>So she doesn’t know. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The queen straightened the ends of her sleeves, pretending that Adora’s comment didn’t hit close to home. “Actually, it’s just me. Bow’s in the guest room in the west wing.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. I guess he can work on his inventions without bothering anyone over there, yeah?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Glimmer repeated, thankful Adora didn’t question any further.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I appreciate the gesture,” Adora started, staring out the small stained glass panel that overlooked the woods. “Although, if you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to stay up a little longer for her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It took a surprising amount of willpower for Glimmer not to look disappointed. “Of course. As always, you know where I am if you need me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re too good for me,” Adora managed to smile. “You know you don’t have to do that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, that’s what best friends are for, right?” she mirrored Adora’s smile. “I know you’d do the same. I’m going to bed, now. Try not to stay up much later, okay? You and all nighters don’t mix.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora snorted, recalling how she stumbled through the castle, scaring all her friends into thinking she was sick, when in reality, she was dead tired and needed rest.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Goodnight, Glimmer.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“G’night, Adora.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And just like that, Adora was left alone in her bathroom once more. With Glimmer gone, Adora realized just how empty the place felt without someone with her. A slight shiver ran through her body. She really didn’t like to be alone. A preference that started in the Horde and still carried into adulthood. Perfuma suggested it was a sense of security she desired, and honestly, Adora was starting to believe her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Nonetheless, Adora wanted to be self sufficient. Feeling helpless frustrated her the most. So, despite feeling uneasy, Adora put all the cleaning supplies away and got ready for bed. After tossing on a loose nightshirt and pants, the blonde slipped under the covers of her bed, hoping for the sweet relief of slumber. But how could she fall asleep with so many thoughts swirling in her head?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She tossed and turned for hours, unable to rest without the familiar warm body inches away from her. Occasionally, she’d glance at the door and window, praying that Catra would walk in any moment to sooth Adora’s nerves. It never came. Once the clock struck three, Adora gave up trying. Catra was obviously not coming. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>pop over to Glimmer’s, though the guilt of bothering her at this hour was too much to ignore. Instead, Adora reached over to her nightstand and lit a candle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>If she wasn’t going to sleep, she might as well make herself useful again. Adora was about to go back to cleaning the bathroom when she heard a bang from outside. She paused, wondering if it was all her imagination. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Bang. </span>
  </em>
  <span>No, there was definitely something out there. Adora held out her arm, focusing her energy to form a sword in her hand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“For the honor of Grayskull,” she whisper-yelled. She didn’t want to wake the whole castle just yet.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A flash of bright light and a costume change later, She-ra, in all her glowing glory, stood in the center of the room. She crossed over to the window, holding the sword with both hands while preparing to face whatever was outside. As she went to peer out the window, the pane flung open, slamming into the wall as a dark figure leapt inside. She-ra pivoted one foot back, crouching down slightly in preparation for a fight.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A short burst of giggles erupted from the figure as bicolored eyes met that of She-ra. “Oh, man. Did you do this just for me?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra, covered in dirt, twigs, and leaves, was grinning suspiciously wide at the First One’s champion. The glowing warrior lowered her sword with a disgruntled sigh and disaptated, leaving a very confused and worried Adora in her place.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Catra! Where on Etheria </span>
  <em>
    <span>were you</span>
  </em>
  <span>!?” Adora demanded, not sure if she should be angry or relieved. The feline plucked a couple of leaves out of her hair and flung them onto the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The woods,” she shrugged.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why didn’t you tell anyone? I couldn’t find Melog and I wasn’t sure if you were even coming back tonight.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, come on. You know I wouldn’t leave you by yourself for too long,” she stepped forward to plant a quick peck on Adora’s temple. “Also, I took melog with me,” Catra jerked her head to the side as the alien cat crept into the room with them. “Thought it would be fun to go out for a little jaunt. You should’ve been there! The trees out there are so easy to climb. I was practically flying through them.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s great that you found an outlet, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>please </span>
  </em>
  <span>tell me next time. I was worried! What if you got hurt?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra waved off her concern as she sauntered into the bathroom. Adora was practically twitching at the trail of mud following the feline. “Well, I’m here now. Everything’s fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora opened her mouth to protest, but Catra shut the bathroom door, presumably to wash up. The blonde ran her fingers through her hair, taking deep breaths to steady herself. Catra is right. She’s not hurt, everything is okay now. Adora ignored the mess Catra left on the floor and quietly sat on the bed. She needed to mentally prepare herself to talk to Catra.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The feline didn’t take too long to clean herself. Catra hated baths, so she opted for a damp washcloth to get the dirt out of her fur. Once in a blue moon, Adora was able to properly wash her in a tub, although it usually required some romantic enticing to work. Something she wasn’t really in the mood to try right now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra exited the bathroom in nothing but her undergarments, not bothering to put any pajamas on as she flopped next to Adora. She shifted to lay on her side, propping her head up with a hand. “Alright, what’s up? You have that ‘I need to say something, but I’m nervous’ face on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora closed her eyes, folding her hands neatly in her lap. She was too tired for all of this. Part of her wanted to just grab Catra and fall asleep entangled together. That wouldn’t help the pressing need to talk, though. It would only plague her mind further.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m.. I just.. We need to talk.” Adora nodded.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra blinked. “Yes, that’s what I just pointed out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, right. Catra..” she reached to hold the other woman’s hand. “I’m really worried for you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra rolled her eyes. “Adora, I told you, I’m fine! Look. No scratches or cuts any-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, not like that,” Adora blurted out. “I’m worried because you don’t seem to like anything here. Do you-do you not like Brightmoon? It’s only when you’re away that you look happy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra’s tail swayed slowly behind her as she narrowed her eyes. This was unexpected. “I don’t hate it here,” she changed into a sitting position. “Not perfect, but it’s a hell of a lot better than the Fright Zone, that’s for sure.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Then what can I do to make it better for you?” Adora grabbed the fabric of her shirt with her free hand. “How can I help?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra twitched one ear, looking Adora up and down. A playful grin spread across her face. The dark haired woman scooted closer, dragging a blunt nail down Adora’s cheek to her neck. “I can think of one thing..” she said, voice husky.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora flinched back momentarily, not expecting </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>response out of Catra. “Catra, I’m being serious here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What? I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am </span>
  </em>
  <span>serious. You asked what I wanted and I’m telling you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Not now,” Adora pushed her hand away. Catra looked almost.. offended. Her hand lingered in the air for a few uncomfortable seconds until Adora politely lowered it. “It’s late.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’ve come this far,” Catra argued. “And you said you wanted to help. We can go slow if you’re tired,” she purred, leaning forward to nuzzle the base of Adora’s chin.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-” Adora breathed as Catra lightly nibbled on her ear. Her fingers traced the blonde’s figure while she covered Adora’s neck in lovebites and kisses. A small whine escaped from Adora’s lips when she briefly pressed against her thigh. Catra snaked the other hand to lift Adora’s night shirt, only to be disappointed as she suddenly jumped off the bed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” the blonde shook her head firmly. “I don’t want this right now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you being like this?” the feline growled.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-I don’t know,” Adora was trembling. “What I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>know is that this isn’t what I need.” she straightened her posture and started for the door. Catra was crying out her name, but she didn’t stop. There was only one person who would understand now.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer liked to call herself a heavy sleeper. She easily slept through Bow’s obnoxious snoring when they were younger. And yet, even in her dreamstate, when she felt the ground moving slightly beneath her, she immediately came to. Well, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>immediately</span>
  </em>
  <span>. Sure, she opened her eyes, though it took more than a couple of tries to keep them that way. The first thing she noticed was darkness, meaning that someone wasn’t purposefully waking her up for her duties.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rubbing her lavender eyes, she slowly sat up, surveying her surroundings. And </span>
  <em>
    <span>that’s </span>
  </em>
  <span>when she noticed the blob at the foot of her bed. A very human-like blob. It almost looked like..</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora?” she croaked, voice still gravely from sleep. Her suspicion proved correct as the dark blob stirred in response. “What are you-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry! I’m sorry,” the blonde mumbled, curling into a tighter ball. “I tried not to wake you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey, shh,” Glimmer pushed her comforter aside, sitting upright. “You don’t need to explain anything. I’m glad you came.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Though Glimmer couldn’t see much, Adora’s bright blue eyes cut clear through the darkness. They were raw with emotion and tears. Again, that gut feeling simmering in Glimmer’s stomach fluttered at the sight of her pained friend. A million questions were running through her head as to why, though judging from Adora’s state, it wasn’t the time to ask. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on,” the queen scooted over and patted the space next to her. “You can’t possibly be comfortable like that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Y-you sure? I don’t want to be a bother.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora, you’re already here. If I didn’t want to, I wouldn’t have offered. Now, get over here. I don’t even need to see your face to know you’re exhausted.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer heard the blonde sigh in defeat and start crawling up the bed. She was thankful Adora didn’t protest further, knowing damn well that she wasn’t in the best position to hold a thoughtful conversation. As Adora slipped under the sheets, Glimmer pushed herself to the very edge of the bed. She didn’t want to cross any boundaries. If she remembered correctly, Adora didn’t need to exactly </span>
  <em>
    <span>touch </span>
  </em>
  <span>another person to sleep. Rather, just the presence of another.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blonde nestled deep within the blankets, bringing them up to her chin as she got into a comfortable position. She ended up on her right side, staring straight at the queen only inches away. Glimmer waited until she stopped moving and gave a reassuring smile.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Comfy?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora nodded, hair falling haphazardly over her face. Glimmer had to pinch herself to refrain from tucking them behind her ear. Why was she so </span>
  <em>
    <span>beautiful?</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, good night. Again,” Glimmer said, turning her back on Adora before she lost herself in those baby blues. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That was close. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She was so desperate to tear herself away, Glimmer forgot that she accidentally picked the opposite side she slept on. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Curses. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Well, one bad night’s sleep would be worth it if it meant Adora was okay. Her eyes were beginning to flutter close when she heard Adora’s voice behind her again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Glimmer?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The queen lolled her head back, not wanting to move from her current position. “Hm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can I?” the blonde started. Unsure what she meant, Glimmer twisted her torso slightly to fully look at Adora. She had come close. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Really </span>
  </em>
  <span>close. Adora was practically hovering next to Glimmer, hand over her shoulder in anticipation for an answer. It took Glimmer a moment to process what she was asking and nearly choked.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, yeah. Sure, go ahead.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora nodded with a grin, lowering herself into the mattress again as she pressed her body against Glimmer’s back. She curled herself around the queen, keeping her hands to herself, but otherwise completely nestling in the other woman’s space. Glimmer didn’t realize just how </span>
  <em>
    <span>warm </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adora was. The queen always struggled with keeping her body temperature up while sleeping. Her mom always found her daughter rolled up multiple layers like a cocoon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But now, Glimmer had to shed the top layer of blankets with Adora as her own personal furnace. No wonder she enjoyed sleeping with Catra. Being like this with someone was so relaxing. Glimmer didn’t care that she was on the wrong side. This felt like heaven. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>heaven. No, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adora</span>
  </em>
  <span> was her heaven.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Catching Up</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adora slept surprisingly well for someone who doesn’t like big, fluffy mattresses. Once she cuddled up with Glimmer, she instantly fell asleep. How could she not? With Glimmer’s familiar scent calming her agitated nerves and the feel of another woman’s skin on her own, Adora was out like a light. Which honestly, all things considered, was quite unusual for Etheria’s savior considering the frequent nightmares and sleep fighting.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Rather than waking up to the beams of light from the rising sun, Adora woke up on her own accord. Whatever dreams still lingering in her mind dissipated as the blonde’s eyes slowly fluttered open. A brief moment of fear overtook her, being that she woke up in a room that wasn’t hers. However, just as quickly as it came, the panic left, relaxing once more after remembering she had migrated to the queen’s room.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Speaking of the queen, Adora couldn’t feel the presence of the woman once with her the night before. Glimmer was nowhere in sight. That itself wasn’t irking. She was the queen, after all. Her duties came first. That didn’t change the fact that Adora was saddened not to see her most trusted friend. Part of her was looking forward to waking up next to Glimmer. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite being disappointed, Adora yawned, shuffling under the covers to sit upright. Judging from the light spilling into the room, she wagered it was a little before midday. The blonde kept in mind not to step off the bed and suffer a twenty foot drop and used the floating stairs down (she already made the mistake once!). Breakfast in the dining halls was probably over, although she could probably convince the chef to make brunch.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora poked her head out the door, looking for anyone passing by. Seeing that no one was there, she hurried back to her room down the hall. She didn’t even reach the door handle before it swung open. Catra, now dressed but with her hair still in a wild mess, confronted the blonde.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Long time no see. Where’ve you been all morning?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Glimmer’s,” Adora answered, truthfully. She had nothing to hide. She and Glimmer weren’t doing anything inappropriate last night-- her conscious was clear. For once, Adora was confident in the choice she made.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You went to Sparkles’ room? Why? What were you two doing in there?” Catra took a step closer to Adora. The blonde wasn’t sure where this newfound anger was coming from, but she didn’t like it. She squeezed her hands and took a deep breath.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Glimmer’s my best friend. You know that she’s the first person I go to if-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“-If I’m being an asshole,” Catra finished for her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora blinked, totally not expecting that answer. The magicat crossed her arms and eyed the woman in front of her. “I know. You always go running to her when I’m being ‘difficult’.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s because Glimmer never invalidates my feelings and </span>
  <em>
    <span>encourages </span>
  </em>
  <span>me to bother her when something’s wrong.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re making me sound like the bad guy,” Catra retorted, tail lashing behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I didn’t say that.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, it sure comes off that way. Don’t you dare say it’s only my fault. I know what you say behind my back.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Adora said, a little too loud than necessary. “Catra, I never talk behind your back. Do you think so little of me?”</span>
</p>
<p><span>“Maybe!” Catra retorted, advancing further into Adora’s space. “I hear you around the castle moaning and groaning how “Catra never does anything” and how pathetic</span> <span>I am.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“I never called you pathetic!” Adora shouted. “And I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>trying </span>
  </em>
  <span>to help you! You don’t do anything because you don’t like anything! Last night I wanted to talk to you about something, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything,</span>
  </em>
  <span> that sounds appealing to you, but you don’t listen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you want from me, a fucking apology?!” Catra shoved her face mere inches from Adora’s.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes!</span>
  </em>
  <span> That’s exactly what I want!” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine! I’m sorry, okay?!” Catra screamed. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay!” Adora screamed back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Almost immediately, Catra slammed her lips into Adora’s, hungry for what she only got a taste for last night. For some unknown reason, Adora found herself reciprocating, adding to the flurry of sloppy, frantic kisses. Catra moaned into Adora’s mouth, hitching a leg up on Adora’s waist. The blonde reached down and grabbed it, pushing Catra into the door. Unwilling to be the bottom, Catra used all her might to force Adora into the room, preparing for the release she deserved.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>-</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Yes! </span>
  </em>
  <span>That’s exactly what I want!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer recognized that voice instantly. She had just wrapped up a meeting with her advisors concerning Scorpia’s inauguration when she heard the screaming match coming from down the hall. As soon as she teleported into the vicinity, she knew exactly what was going on. It was another one of Catra and Adora’s blow outs. Glimmer made sure not to be seen and ducked behind a corner. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fine! I’m sorry, okay?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>What came next was sickening. Glimmer was well aware of what happened behind closed doors in Catra and Adora’s room. Sometimes they didn’t wait until everyone was asleep. She tried her hardest not to think about it, but now with the two women aggressively making out in front of her, she couldn’t help but feel disgusted. Thankfully, Catra pulled them into the room before they went any further in public. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, Glimmer felt sick to her stomach. She felt as though Adora wasn’t in the right headspace to indulge in such activities right now. Unfortunately, Catra was always having the final say in their decisions nowadays. It wasn’t Glimmer’s place to judge, although she was having a harder time not to voice her concern. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whoa, what’s up with you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer whirled around, only to be faced with a familiar crop-top loving boy. Bow waved at her from across the way, walking unhurriedly to join her. “Seriously, what happened? You look like someone just kicked a puppy.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s nothing,” the queen replied, straightening her back. “I was returning to my room after my meeting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Er, your room is the other way. It kiiiiinda looks like you were going to Catra and Adora’s,” Bow tried peeking over Glimmer’s shoulder. She quickly moved to block his sight and crossed her arms.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What I am doing is none of your concern.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are </span>
  </em>
  <span>going to Adora’s! Is it because of yesterday’s meeting? She looked really lost. I was going to talk to her about it, but you beat me to it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“N-no. I just heard her and wanted to see-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer was interrupted by a very prominent moan coming from Catra and Adora’s room. She blushed as Bow wiggled his eyebrows in response.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See..?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Ugh! You!” she sputtered, grabbing the front of his shirt and teleporting out of the hallway. Not having anywhere specific in mind, she reappeared in the center of the garden, which was (thankfully) unoccupied. Glimmer lightly pushed Bow away and pinched the bridge of her nose.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, it’s not what it looks like.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Really? So you weren’t spying on a certain someone's sexy time?” the archer replied, a smug look on his face.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer glared daggers at her oldest friend. A decade of friendship had rendered him a little </span>
  <em>
    <span>too </span>
  </em>
  <span>comfortable with intruding on Glimmer’s personal life. “No, I wasn’t. In fact, I was just about to leave before you decided to make your grand entrance.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Is that so?” Bow teased, finding a bench a few feet away to sit on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, that’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>so. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Do you really think I want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>watch </span>
  </em>
  <span>that?” she said, sticking her tongue out in disgust.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe you like that kind of stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh, no thanks. I prefer having the real deal.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Real deal, huh? Does that real deal include anyone special I should know about?” the archer wiggled his eyebrows again. Glimmer raked her fingers down her face and plopped next to him, defeated. Bow only chuckled and nudged her shoulder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m just messing with you. You seem really tense about it. Everything okay with you and Adora?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, yes and no. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Glimmer sighed, staring off into the garden. That question was more complex than she liked it to be. On the surface, yes, everything was fine. She had no shred of doubt in her mind that she and Adora were close. The problem was that sometimes, Glimmer felt more overprotective of Adora than she should be. At first glance, it didn’t seem like too much of an issue. The issue was, whenever she pondered about those feelings, guilt overwhelmed her. Such feelings should be reserved for Adora’s lover, not friend. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Adora’s lover. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Glimmer shuttered. Just thinking about it made her uncomfortable.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re okay. It’s not like we’re going through a rough patch or anything. I’m just.. concerned for Adora. She’s really stressing herself out about Catra. I wish I could do more”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bow nodded, draping an arm over the back of the bench and shifting to face her. “I get it. You want to make all of your friends happy. But, at some point, you have to remember that sometimes it’s not your job to do that. They have to figure out out themselves.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I just hate </span>
  <em>
    <span>waiting.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Why can’t all my problems be solved with aggressive fist to face sparkles?” the purple haired woman groaned, sinking further into her seat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sure Adora’s the only one worked up? You’ve been tense about her for awhile,” Bow pointed out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer rolled her eyes. “Am I not allowed to be worried about the wellbeing of my friends?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Bow lightly tapped Glimmer’s foot with his own. “Although, I’ve never seen you so concerned about someone before. You really care about her, don’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah..” Glimmer said quietly, staring at the ground with a hint of a smile forming on her lips. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>was the truth all right. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Gosh, If I didn’t know any better, I’d say that’s the the face of someone with a cru-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Bow!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The boy shrank a bit from the sudden yell, but kept a sly grin. “I won’t say anything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re a handful, you know that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Guilty,” he shrugged, letting himself laugh. Glimmer caught herself smiling, too. She kinda missed these little moments with Bow. Truthfully, they had gone through a little rough patch of their own and hadn’t truly talked in quite some time. Not since that night.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Bow, can we talk?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Bow looked up from the conference table where he had been working on fixing the holographic map for the better part of two hours. Glimmer entered the room, hesitantly closing the door behind her. He smiled and set down his tools, picking up a rag to wipe the grease off his hands.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Sure, what’s up?”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The queen crossed over to where he was and played with the ends of her cape. “I-I wanted to talk about us.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Us?” he grinned, reaching to put an arm around her waist. “What about us?” he whispered, leaning forward to plant a kiss on Glimmer’s forehead.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Glimmer (albeit a little too forcefully) jerked her head out of the way and stepped to the side, detaching his arm from her middle. The archer looked at her with visible confusion, frozen with his arm still outstretched. Glimmer’s lavender eyes widened with shock. She didn’t look upset, rather, more shocked at herself for the action. He was about to apologize for wherever he did wrong, only to have Glimmer offer an explanation first.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m sorry, Bow. I can’t keep doing this,” she said, quietly. Her gaze remained glued to the ground, as she knew that if she looked at him, she’d surely cry.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Can’t do what?” Bow asked, gently. He almost took a step forward to comfort her, but thought the better of it and gave her space, instead. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“This. Us. You and me together. Bow.. I’ve known you since we were kids. You were there for me when no one else was. A-And you’re still my friend! Please don’t get it wrong, I don’t hate you,” she went on, trying to keep her voice from shaking. “But you’ve always been like a brother to me. And I know what happened back on that battlefield. That wasn’t a lie, I do love you. Just.. not like </span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Bow was silent, processing Glimmer’s words in his head. The queen remained quiet too, unsure what to say next. He took a deep breath, turning away from Glimmer and putting his hands on the table. The queen tentatively came closer, truly guilty for everything. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“I’m sorry, Bow. If you don’t want to be friends anymore I-I’ll understand.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“No,” he murmured, pausing before facing her with a saddened face. Glimmer felt hot tears fill her eyes, unable to keep them from spilling down her cheeks. Bow was dry eyed but equally as sorrowful. He solemnly reached for Glimmer’s hand, taking it in both of his own and rubbing his thumb across her knuckles. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“You’ll always be my friend, Glimmer. That won’t change. But I need time to take this all in,” he said over Glimmer’s growing sobs. “I’ll still attend the meetings and come if you need any help, but I want some time alone.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Glimmer nodded, too overwhelmed with emotion to reciprocate in words. Bow dropped her hand and started toward the door. “I’ll get my things from your room. If you need me, I’ll be in one of the guest rooms.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>With that, Bow left the room. Glimmer collapsed in one of the chairs and cried. She was there for a long time.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>That was two weeks ago. In those two weeks, she’d only seen Bow a grand total of three times. Twice at the meetings and once when her trackerpad broke. Even then, they only shared a handful of words to one another. She felt positively </span>
  <em>
    <span>awful</span>
  </em>
  <span>, and yet, she was glad to get it out. Being in a relationship with Bow just never felt right. He was too ingrained in her family to be seen as a lover.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, now that the two were laughing together in the garden, the big cloud of guilt that had been hovering over her head for days was lessening. It was good to have her friend back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So were you purposefully looking for me today or just here to give me a hard time?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“A little of both. Well, the former, really,” Bow pulled out his trackerpad and pulled up a long message. “We got a message from the Crimson Waste. Huntara is sending a representative to Brightmoon to discuss recent outbreaks of violence between Crimson Waste occupants and Horde refugees. We estimate they should arrive in time for next week’s meeting.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer carefully took the pad from Bow’s hands, scanning the contents of the letter. “So what, do they need help or something? Since when does Huntara need back up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I think it's more of them just informing us what’s going on. You </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>ask for kingdoms to send in reports of their status. And while the Crimson Waste technically isn’t governed by a princess, I think Huntara wants to keep ties with Brightmoon on the good side.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Fair enough,” Glimmer sighed, handing the device back. “Do we know who she’s sending? I don’t want any of those thieves around here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No idea. I’ll alert the guard to keep a look out for any suspicious activity from their rep.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Just don’t make it </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>obvious. We’re not trying to be hostile, here,” the queen pointed out. Bow nodded and typed a few notes into the device.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you want to be the one to notify the rest of the princesses? You’ll have to tell Scorpia that we have to hold off on the inauguration plans.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’ll do it,” Glimmer stood up, motioning for Bow to do the same. “Just.. can you be the one to tell Adora?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Bow raised his eyebrows in response, not quite grinning yet but obviously curious. “Should I be concerned?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” she answered, quickly. “Don’t give me that look! Can you do it or not?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Glimmer, you can’t run away from her.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The queen scoffed, turning her heel away from the bow and stalking off toward the castle. “Watch me.”</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Problem? Have Cake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Soo it occurred to me that the last three chapters were kind of...trash. <br/>I swear it gets better.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Up to this point, Adora had never really regretted any of her and Catra’s “intimate moments”. Sure, her libido wasn’t nearly as high as Catra’s, but ultimately she found </span>
  <em>
    <span>some </span>
  </em>
  <span>fun in all of their nights tussling under the sheets. Besides, she aimed to please. Even if she wasn’t in the mood, there was some reward in being useful.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And yet, after they had just finished a spur-of-the-moment session that afternoon, Adora couldn’t find fulfillment in her heart. Truthfully, her heart hadn’t been in it the moment Catra’s lips claimed hers. Everything moved so fast she barely had time to process what had even happened. She woke up in Glimmer’s bed, went back to her room, started arguing with Catra and then..</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And then..?</span>
  </em>
  <span> The blonde looked at the naked woman resting beside her. Catra wasn’t completely asleep, she knew that. At night, the post sex crash would send her into a deep slumber, however, anything during the day simply exhausted her. Yes, her eyes were closed and her breathing was steady, but Adora was well aware that she was still very aware of her surroundings. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With a sigh, Adora silently slipped off the bed, watching Catra’s tail thump against the sheets in response. The stale air felt chilly against her exposed skin as she crossed the room to the bathroom. Her first instinct was to dress herself, except Catra had been in such a rush to get Adora naked that she had effectively shredded all of her clothing into ribbons. Adora always tried to prevent the destruction of her perfectly good clothes, but she was apparently never fast enough for Catra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Fighting her urge to clean up the scraps of fabric strewn on the floor, Adora entered the bathroom and immediately checked herself in the mirror. There were three big, ugly red splotches on the base of her neck and collarbone. Faint nail scratches decorated her sides and thighs as well, although Adora was sure those would go away a lot quicker than the forming bruises. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The more she looked in the mirror, the grosser Adora felt. Her hair was tangled, her whole body was covered in sweat, and the slick lathered between her thighs was drying uncomfortably. She remembered hearing about an “afterglow” that happened post sex that supposedly made you look glowy and laughed as she stared at the dishelveled reflection in front of her. The only thing she felt post sex was disapointed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blonde stepped into the shower, turning the knob to bring the hottest water. Back in the Horde, warm water was limited. Only the first few cadets who could scamper off to the showers in time could avoid the freezing liquid that rained down from the pipes. Now that she permanently resided in Brightmoon, Adora religiously took scalding hot showers for long periods of time to make up for all those chilly years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora pressed her forehead to the wall, letting the hot water trickle off her back. Why did she feel so weird about this all of the sudden? She used to come out of sex full of energy and empowerment. Sometimes the high would last all day. And yet, despite the peak she managed to reach, she felt like absolute shit. Maybe it was because Catra was a little more rough than usual. Maybe it was because Adora just played along to stop the arguing. Or maybe it was because deep down there was a part of her that knew Catra just wanted a release, not Adora. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trying not to spiral down in dark thoughts, Adora began to wash herself off, using an absurd amount of shampoo and soap in an attempt to rid the memories of their afternoon coitus. She furiously scrubbed at her arms and middle, scratching them until they were pink and raw. Another one of her habits during times of stress. After she had properly steamed up the room to the point of fogged vision, she cut off the water and looked around for a towel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was one measly washcloth hanging on the towel rack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Catra? Catra can you get me a towel?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No response. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora closed her eyes, thinking of Perfuma’s meditation and tranquility sessions. Being angry won’t help right now. The hero of Etheria took the tiny washcloth in both hands and dabbed at her hair and body, doing her best to dry off. While she didn’t get completely dry, she somehow managed to stop the dripping and just decided to put up with the dampness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The blonde cracked open the door, for some reason being embarrassed with her nudity as if she hadn’t been without clothes in front of Catra dozens of times before. She called out again for her, and no response came yet again. In fact, Catra wasn’t even in the </span>
  <em>
    <span>room. </span>
  </em>
  <span>Apparently between the time Adora entered the bathroom and finished her shower, Catra decided to leave the blonde to her own devices. </span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>So much for aftercare. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora grimaced and looted through the room for a towel. In the end, the only ones she could find were in the dirty laundry pile. The one she grabbed reeked of Catra’s wet fur smell. No matter how much Adora stressed that bathing every day would keep her fur nice and fluffy, Catra never listened and went days without properly washing, which ended up with not so nice smelling towels like this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It really made Adora appreciate Glimmer and her cleanliness. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Glimmer. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The blonde turned her head to stare at the shreds of fabric still on the floor. She tossed the towel aside and bent down to grab a handful, bringing them to her nose. They still smelled like her. That alluring vanilla aroma she never could get enough of. Last night, she was on cloud nine with all of the wonderful scents luring her to sleep. It always reminded her of sweet foods, flowers, and best of all, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Glimmer. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It got to the point where if she caught a whiff of vanilla anywhere, Adora immediately looked around for the queen. That instinct wasn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>all </span>
  </em>
  <span>crazy; Glimmer did teleport randomly, so sometimes you could anticipate it seconds in advance. Still, when she figured out that it </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>her favorite purple haired friend, she felt a pang of sadness. She really enjoyed her time with her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A knock at the door brought Adora out of her thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“One second!” she said before whoever on the other side could open the door. Adora dashed over to her dresser and tossed on a loose shirt and pants. Hopefully she wasn’t needed for anything important. The blonde hurried to the door and opened it. It was Bow who greeted her with a warm smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Adora,” he looked at Adora’s incomplete look and cocked his head to the side. “Am I interrupting anything?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, not at all. I just got out of the shower, actually. Come on in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The boy nodded and stepped into her room, stopping when he saw the clump of ripped fabric on the floor. Adora closed the door behind him and sighed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can explain.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do I </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to know?” the archer nudged a few of the scraps near him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A light chuckle escaped Adora’s lips. “No, I suppose you don’t.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow went on to sit on Adora’s bed while she grabbed a brush and chair. She brought the chair over and settled across from him as she began to untangle the mess on her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what’s up?” she eyed the boy, looking for any sign of distress. He didn’t seem too concerned at the door, but Adora always kept it in the back of her mind that any situation had the potential to turn dark. Thankfully, Bow flashed another smile and leaned back on the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing really important. Glimmer sent me to tell you about next week’s meeting. We’re putting Scorpia’s inauguration process on hold because a representative from the Crimson Waste is on their way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora stopped brushing and narrowed her eyes. “What do they want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They don’t necessarily </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>anything.. yet. Their message simply states that they’re coming to talk about the feud between them and former Horde soldiers. There’s been large outbreaks of violence everywhere,” Bow pulled out his trackpad and uploaded a map of the Crimson Waste with little red dots scattered across. “You see, these are all the places that are considered hot spots. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From what we know, Huntara is still considered the leader, although she hasn’t completely conquered the entire place. Small groups, Horde formed and Etherians, have been growing to challenge her authority.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do they need reinforcements? I can be over there in three days to break up-”</span>
</p><p><span>“Whoa there, don’t get ahead of yourself,” Bow stopped the blonde before she could stand up and storm the door. “We can’t jump to any conclusions until the representative gets here. A</span> <span>nd even if they do, we need to have a plan. As much as I love barreling in head first, having contingency plans makes life much easier.”</span></p><p><span>Adora sank into her seat and blew a stray hair out of her face. As much as she hated to admit it, Bow was right. They couldn’t make rash decisions any more. “Fine.”</span><span><br/></span> <span>The archer shook his head with a smile. “You look just like Glimmer. She’s so angry she can’t punch her way out of all her problems.”</span></p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t sound like too bad of an idea,” the blonde shrugged. “She might be onto something.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ohhh no. Not you too. I don’t need another person to babysit.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Babysit?!” Adora almost looked offended. “I can take you on with one arm.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Save it for Seahawk, oh mighty She-ra” Bow chuckled and batted Adora’s fists away. The blonde laughed with him, entering a flurry of playful hand slaps. At one point, Bow had to wave the white flag, which Adora only accepted until he found a white scrap of fabric to do so with. </span>
  <em>
    <span>That </span>
  </em>
  <span>pushed them into a long fit of giggles.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does this happen every time you guys.. you know? How do you still have clothes?” he asked after the giggles subsided. Adora carefully took the cloth from his grasp and inspected it between her fingers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not </span>
  <em>
    <span>every </span>
  </em>
  <span>time,” Adora explained, dawning a more serious demeanor. “Only when Catra is really excited.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t look so happy about that,” Bow commented at the blonde’s sudden change of emotion. “Then again, I’d be kinda peeved to lose a shirt or two. I happen to hold some of my clothes very dearly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Oh, yeah, I guess losing clothes is kind of annoying.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You want me to set you up with our seamstress? It’s a little intimidating at first getting all the measurements, but once she gets your size and preference, she can bang out any style and outfit you can dream of.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe another time. If I get dangerously low on pants, I’ll let you know,” she gave him a faint smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, don’t be shy to ask! Me and Glimmer are both here to help you,” he said, getting up from the bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>Glimmer? I didn’t have time to thank her for last night,” Adora inquired, walking Bow back to the door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Er- she said she’s busy. Had to send word to the other princesses about the Crimson Waste situation and all that. She actually sent me here to tell you about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh. She’s been busy for a while, hasn’t she?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She’s the queen,” Bow shrugged. “That’s her job. She’s in charge of Brightmoon. Anything that happens in this castle is reported directly to her. Micah helps where he can, but it ultimately falls all onto Glimmer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora nodded and reached for the door. She couldn’t help to think about how helpful Glimmer has been these past few weeks despite her hectic schedule. Even while juggling her own personal duties, she always found time to drop whatever she was doing and come to Adora’s side. And Adora was really grateful for that. However, with that gratefulness, she also felt guilty for not repaying that kindness. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Bow, you think Glimmer would appreciate a gift or surprise?” she asked, stopping the boy before he could leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Depends. What kind of surprise?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about… cake?” she suggested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t think of anyone who doesn’t like cake,” he smiled, approving of the idea. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Great! You don’t think the chefs will mind if I use the kitchen, will you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nah. It’s not close to dinner so they should be on break anyway. Just don’t make too much of a mess and clean up after yourself.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Got it!” Adora chirped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Have fun,” Bow waved, walking off down the hallway. Adora waved back and ducked back into her room to put on actual clothes. Now, Adora had been told </span>
  <em>
    <span>many </span>
  </em>
  <span>times that she was a </span>
  <em>
    <span>horrible </span>
  </em>
  <span>cook. But baking and cooking were different! There was only one part with fire, so the chances of her burning something was minimal. Only one way to find out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora was contemplating interrogating the chef for suspicious activity. Upon looking for cake recipes in the chef’s cookbook, she stumbled upon dozens of folders containing the information of everyone’s favorite dishes, allergies, and dislikes. Everyone from the janitorial staff to Adora herself had a file detailing the ins and outs of their dietary preferences. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Pushing the natural urge to find and question the chef about this weird accumulation of data, Adora decided to use this new found information to her advantage and pull up Glimmer’s folder. Unsurprisingly, almost half of her favorite dishes included some form of sweets. There were ten different cake varieties. Some of which Adora had never even seen or heard of (to be fair, Adora hadn’t been exposed to a lot of colorful food until Brightmoon).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora settled on a simple vanilla cake with strawberry filling. She gathered the ingredients listed and ordered them on the table by relevance to time. The instructions weren’t too hard to figure out considering the cake batter only included mixing things in a bowl. Cooking was </span>
  <em>
    <span>way </span>
  </em>
  <span>harder than baking. Oddly, the only pans she could find was in the shape of a triangle, but food tasted the same no matter the shape so Adora wasn’t too bothered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>All things considered, the whole process of baking a cake was quite relaxing. There was no critical thinking or real risk at stake-- all she had to do was follow a recipe which had everything you needed to know. It required just enough concentration to stop the constant flow of uncertainty flowing through her head without being stressful. Time flew by so fast, Adora barely realized a few hours had passed by the time she finished.</span>
</p><p> <span>She cut a single serving of the double layered pastry and headed off to Glimmer’s room. Adora considered the possibility that she might not even be there, but she had a good hunch. Thankfully, Adora could see from down the hall that the door was slightly ajar, meaning that she was probably inside. The blonde knocked carefully and peeked inside.</span></p><p>
  <span>“You can put those reports on the chair,” the queen replied from within. Adora fully pushed the door open. Glimmer was faced away from Adora, fully engrained in whatever paper she was reading. She didn’t even look up when Adora entered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I can come back later if you’re in the middle of something,” Adora offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer whipped around in surprise and stared at the blonde. “Oh, Adora! What are you doing here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora smiled sheepishly and held out the cake in front of her. “Bow told me you’d been really busy so I thought I’d make you something. It’s, uh, also a thank you for last night.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The purple haired girl flicked her gaze at the treat then back to the blonde. “That’s really thoughtful. You know you didn’t have to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, but it makes me feel better if I can do something for you,” Adora replied, setting the cake on her desk. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Vanilla with strawberry filling? How did you know this was one of my favorites?” Glimmer asked with a smile.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If I told you, you wouldn’t believe me. Also it looked like the easiest one to make,” Adora ran a hand through her hair.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait a second, </span>
  <em>
    <span>did you make this yourself?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Glimmer gawked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“W-well, yeah,” the blonde stuttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Should I be concerned? The last time you made food-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“-I burned it to a crisp. I know, I know. I swear this is better. I had a little taste myself and didn’t throw up, so I took it as a sign that I did okay,” Adora put her hands up in defence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Still suspicious but not wanting to disappoint Adora, Glimmer grabbed a piece of the cake and took a bite. “Holy shit, this isn’t too bad.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank goodness,” Adora whispered to herself. She truthfully only tried the strawberry filling (which she was proud of!) and was crossing her fingers the rest turned out alright. Glimmer was fully digging in now, so Adora assumed that it was just fine. In fact, looking at the girl, Adora couldn’t help but giggle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Glimmer. Glimmer you have..” she trailed off as Glimmer looked up with stuffed cheeks. Adora stifled another laugh. “You have frosting right..”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora leaned forward, cupping Glimmer’s cheek as she wiped some of the icing away from her lips. Even with just her thumb, Adora could feel how soft Glimmer’s lips were. Who was she kidding, Glimmer’s skin was </span>
  <em>
    <span>always </span>
  </em>
  <span>so soft and </span>
  <em>
    <span>smooth.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adora absentmindedly continued rubbing the side of her face in awe. It almost felt.. natural. Like this was what she was supposed to be doing. It didn’t help that Glimmer seemingly leaned into the touch. The queen let out a content sigh, eyes fluttering close.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, only seconds after, both girls suddenly came to their senses and jumped away from each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stars, I didn’t mean to-” Adora started.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sorry, I wasn’t-” Glimmer said at the same time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should, uh, probably get going,” the blonde tripped over her words, obviously flustered. “Gotta clean up and all that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, you should do that,” Glimmer nodded too fast for comfort.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay then.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll, um, see you around,” Adora flushed, practically running for the door. She made it out alive and rushed to her room, collapsing on her bed with a groan. </span>
  <em>
    <span>What was that? Why was that so oddly.. intimate?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The blonde was too flustered to think. Her mind was too scrambled to do anything else for the rest of the day. The chef was not pleased.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. The Deciding Factor</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Catra? Catra you have to get up.”</p>
<p>The magicat groaned and pressed her face further into the pillow.</p>
<p>“Catra, you promised you’d come to this week’s meeting,” Adora huffed, nudging her shoulder again. “If you don’t get up, we’re going to be late.”</p>
<p>“You can go on without me,” Catra yawned. “I’ll catch up.”</p>
<p>Adora rolled her eyes and grabbed her jacket. She really wasn’t in the mood for arguing. She hoped that Catra still had some dignity left to uphold her promises. “Fine. It starts in ten minutes. And please stay for the <em> whole </em>meeting this time.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, yeah,” the feline waved lazily as Adora left the room. Catra let out a gentle purr as she stretched. She wasn’t planning to get out of bed before ten today, but unfortunately her girlfriend had cornered her into one of those meetings again. Her personal record was four weeks without attendance. She <em> could </em>just fall back asleep and forget about the whole thing, although that was just asking to get a yelling from Adora. </p>
<p>And if that wasn’t enough, she had no doubt that Sparkles would get a whiff of the whole situation, making Catra deal with not one, but two crazy people. So, after another yawn, the feline crawled out of bed. Unlike Adora who was organized to a fault, Catra kept her clothes in two piles: dirty and clean. She sniffed the clothing and picked out a pair that stunk the least. After slipping on her usual red shirt and burgundy pants, she found a mirror and smoothed out her hair with a quick brush of her fingers.</p>
<p>Content with her look, she wandered out of the room and began her walk to the meeting. A smattering of servants going through their morning routine dipped their heads in respect as she passed. Heh. Felt good to be on top. She was just about to round a corner when a flurry of movement behind her caught her eye. </p>
<p>Catra spun around, claws unsheathed and fangs bared, expecting an assailant to come flying at her. Alas, the only person in the hallway was a lonely servant she passed meer seconds ago mopping the floor diligently. They waved at her with a smile. She acknowledged their existence with a snort. The feline retracted their claws and slowly turned back around-- only to run face first into a black leather suit.</p>
<p>“Hey, kitten.”</p>
<p>Catra sprang back, hissing as her fur puffed out. Double Trouble chuckled to themself and placed a hand on their hip. “Relax, no need to get worked up. I’m not here to collect your soul.”</p>
<p>“DT? What the hell are you doing?” she looked her former acquaintance up and down.</p>
<p>“Mm, you didn’t know? I’m the Crimson Waste rep,” they purred, tossing their hair over one shoulder. “You never kept in touch so I had to get a new cash kitten. Huntara pays good money for little jobs like these.”</p>
<p>Catra crossed her arms and glared at the lizard person. “Already hooked on another sugar mama, are you? I’m starting to think that you just pine after the person with the biggest flex.”</p>
<p>“That’s the point, darling,” they hummed. “You can’t lose if you’re always on the winning side. Perks of being neutral. After all, I’m everyone’s best friend… for a price.”</p>
<p>Double Trouble licked their eyes and gave an eerie smile, finding Catra’s distrust for them amusing. The pair didn’t quite part on good terms, and while Double Trouble didn’t give two shits about how a former employer thought of them, Catra still harbored some resentment in her heart for them. If Double Trouble was being completely honest, they only took up the opportunity to come to Brightmoon so they could see what had become of the Horde’s best Force Captain. </p>
<p>“You’re everyone’s pain in the ass for free,” the feline retorted. </p>
<p>“You’re too kind, kitten,” Double Trouble brushed some dust off their shirt. “And while I would love to stick around and listen to the rest of your snarky pleasantries, we really must be getting you to your blonde. I don’t think she’ll be too happy if you break that promise you made.”</p>
<p>“Wait, how did you-”</p>
<p>“Come along, now. No time to idle, love,” the lizard person clapped, completely ignoring Catra’s question. As<em> if </em> they’d tell her their secrets. She was getting slow in her old age. The two didn’t talk the rest of the way to the conference room. Double Trouble was <em> living </em>for the awkwardness radiating off of Catra. This trip was going to be fun.</p>
<p>The entire room fell silent as Double Trouble entered, Catra right at their heels. The queen visibly gaped while Adora’s eyes practically bulged out of her head at the sight of them. She looked as though she was going to say something, but Double Trouble didn’t give her the chance.</p>
<p>“Alright, party people! I’ve got places to go and people to see, so let’s make this quick. My lease ends in two days so you’ve got forty eight hours to bore me with your questions before I leave.”</p>
<p>Catra grumbled something Double Trouble couldn’t quite hear and scampered off to sit by the blonde. At least, If anything, Double Trouble took the attention away from her tardiness. Bow was too busy setting DT up with the projector and Sparkles was in the middle of reassuring the rest of the princesses that they were not associated with the Horde anymore. Only Adora thanked her in a whisper. She didn’t respond.</p>
<p>“Wonderful,” the lizard person commented as the screen started working. “Okay, attention, attention, everyone! I’m only going over this once, so listen closely.”</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>Catra fully expected to tune out after the first ten minutes. However, the more Double Trouble explained the trouble brewing, the more invested she became. Huntara had a relatively easy time picking up the remnants of Tung Lashor’s gang, and while most Waste residents regarded her as the main boss, Horde refugees rejected her leadership. What started off as a smattering of Horde groups here and there turned into a fully fledged rival gang challenging Huntara's title. All over the Crimson Waste fights have been breaking out between the two.</p>
<p>Huntara, knowing that this had the possibility to escalate further, was purposefully informing outsiders to stay away. Partly because she didn’t want to drag anyone else into it, and partly because she would find it offensive if others came to her aid. To receive help would mean to be seen as weak. Such accusations could break her reputation, giving the Horde an advantage. Besides, she was determined and confident that she would have the entire Waste in her hands within months.  </p>
<p>Once that happened, Huntara would reopen the Crimson Waste (as if people would even want to go there in the first place) and play with the idea of possible trade deals with other kingdoms. Most notably, Plumeria. The Waste would do well with more plant life. They were already in a shortage of food. Perfuma was already enthusiastic, suggesting that she could always send rations in a pinch. Double Trouble assured her that they would send word if absolutely necessary.</p>
<p>As everything came to an end, Double Trouble reminded the alliance that they’d be staying in Brightmoon for an additional day and a half in case the queen or any princess wished to pass word to Huntara. No further questions were brought up to attention, and the meeting was adjourned. All the princesses filed out of the room, sans Perfuma who wanted to talk to Double Trouble individually and the Brightmoon residents.</p>
<p>“So, was that so hard to sit through, Catra?” Glimmer teased, hopping to sit on the table. She dangled her legs off the side as she smiled at the feline.</p>
<p>“If you’re looking for approval, you’re not going to find it here, Sparkles,” Catra snapped, sinking further into her seat. “I wasn’t planning to come and see your face at the crack of dawn.”</p>
<p>“I’d hardly call this the crack of dawn,” she snorted, gesturing to the orb of light outside that was too high in the sky to be early morning. “Maybe you’re starting to actually like us?”</p>
<p>“Don’t get your hopes up. This one over here-” Catra jabbed a finger at Adora. “-forced me to come.”</p>
<p>“Hey! You promised me!” the blonde protested.</p>
<p>“That’s because I didn’t have a choice!” </p>
<p>Glimmer scrunched up her nose, sensing an incoming argument. <em> Are they ever not fussing about something? </em> Next to her, Bow shrugged, already knowing the queen’s thoughts. The two silently agreed not to get pulled into the girls’ quarrel and turned their attention to Double Trouble and Perfuma. The flower princess was talking excitedly with her hands clasped together as Double Trouble nodded every so often. They didn’t look particularly intrigued in her words, but Perfuma didn’t seem to care. </p>
<p>“You don’t think that’s the start of a friendship, do you?” Glimmer whispered to the boy next to her.</p>
<p>“Nah. My money’s on Perfuma trying to get to Huntara through DT. Did you see how she was back in the Crimson Waste? Those two complete opposites clicked on a level I’ll never understand.”</p>
<p>“Yeah, but Perfuma is with Scorpia now. She wouldn’t go after her like that,” the queen reminded him.</p>
<p>“Doesn’t mean she can’t ogle over another buff woman,” he snickered, getting an elbow to the ribs as Perfuma finished her conversation with Double Trouble and approached the two friends. </p>
<p>“Do you think I could borrow Adora for a moment? I’d like to see the extent of her healing capabilities. She might be a factor in helping regrow the Crimson Waste!”</p>
<p>Bow and Glimmer exchanged a glance. The three of them looked to Catra and Adora who stopped upon seeing everyone staring at them. </p>
<p>“Problem?” the feline asked, scanning the expressions on everyone’s face.</p>
<p>“No, Perfuma wants Adora for.. whatever she’s planning,” Bow answered. “All helpful things.”</p>
<p>Catra and Adora exchanged a glance of their own. The feline flicked her ear in annoyance and narrowed her eyes. “Whatever. Go play puppet with your friends. You know where to find me.”</p>
<p>“Wait, what? I never know where to find you,” the blonde called out as Catra stuffed her hands into her pockets and started out the door.</p>
<p>“Don’t worry, darlings. I’ll keep an eye on your precious kitty,” Double Trouble piped up, following the feline. Adora didn’t seem too pleased at the arrangement, although Double Trouble may very well be the only person Catra would tolerate right now. It was obvious she wasn’t particularly fond of Bow or Glimmer right now, and with Perfuma insisting she do some experiments with She-ra’s healing powers, she didn’t have the time to argue. </p>
<p>She watched the two leave the room without a word.</p>
<p>-</p>
<p>“That looked positively painful,” the lizard person commented as Catra stalked down the hallway. “Is this a daily occurrence for you or did I happen to intrude on a tense moment?”</p>
<p>“Shut up, you don’t get to question my relationship,” the feline growled, starting to question if she should ditch her former aquanteince. </p>
<p>“Mm so feisty, kitten. This place is really driving you up the walls, isn’t it? I can see why. Princesses were never your style.”</p>
<p>“Thanks for pointing out the obvious, DT.”</p>
<p>“I live to serve,” they curtsied. “And speaking of serving, has the almighty queen of everything glittery put you to work yet? I can’t imagine there’d be anything here as fun as what we used to do. Kind of a shame. Waste of talent, really.”</p>
<p>“Are you done yet?” Catra stopped in her tracks, wheeling around to face the green lizard person grinning ear to ear.</p>
<p>“Almost,” they purred, putting their hands on their knees so they were Catra’s height. “How much longer will you put up with this? Are you really going to waste the rest of your time here? It doesn’t take much to see how miserable you are.”</p>
<p>What exactly are you pulling here?” the brunette hissed. “You think you’re so high and mighty just because you’ve not a new flashy boss to suck up to. Thinking that you can analyze all my little faults for your own gain. I’m not falling for your bullshit mind games. Go play with another idiot somewhere else.”</p>
<p>The pair fell into a brief silence. Catra felt like she had finally gotten the upper hand, seeing Double Trouble slip into a neutral gaze. It was short lived however, because the lizard person suddenly doubled over with a deep belly laugh.</p>
<p>“There she is! I knew the old kitten was still in here!” Double Trouble cheered. “I was beginning to think this place had really turned you soft. I mean you didn’t even notice that I was following you the moment you left your room this morning.”</p>
<p>“Hold on-”</p>
<p>“Now that we’re got Catra back, let’s talk business,” they smirked, motioning for her to follow them into an empty room. The two of them wandered into an unoccupied study, presumably Micha’s or another official. Double Trouble walked around the desk and flopped into the large arm chair, laying on it horizontally. They folded their legs over the arm of the chair as they pulled a scroll from their pocket and placed it on the table.</p>
<p>“Assuming you paid attention during my little spiel, you know that Huntara doesn’t want any help from the princesses. Too emotional and friendship-y,” they waved in the air as Catra picked up the letter. “That’s why you are an exception from that ban, and why you are being offered a proposition.”</p>
<p>“Proposition?” the feline repeated, opening the letter and pouring over the contents.</p>
<p>“That’s what I said. Don’t make me repeat myself, darling. It’s a bore. Anyway, rumor had it that you were the one that defeated Tung Lashor. Pretty impressive work for an outsider. Your name is still a hot topic being thrown around.”</p>
<p>“It is?” Catra lowered the paper to peer at Double Trouble. They chuckled and examined their claws.</p>
<p>“Y’know, you’re cute when you get all excited like that.”</p>
<p>“Cram it and tell me what you want.”</p>
<p>The lizard person quirked a brow and slid their legs off the side of the chair to sit upright properly. Elbows on the desk and fingers pressed together, Double Trouble titled their head to the side and smiled at the feline. “Put simply, Huntara wants <em> you. </em>Rumors have turned you into a mysterious adversary with unknown potential. Unlike the ditzy princesses, you can spark fear into the Horde rebels. And, on the other side of that, you give Huntara’s gang an even better rep with such a strong fighter alongside her.”</p>
<p>Catra said nothing as her bi colored eyes remained glued to the paper clutched in her hands. This proposition was eerily similar to the exact situation they all just got out of in the first place. The only difference was that she would be starting off on the other side. Otherwise, the whole ‘fighting the enemy for territory’ bit was nearly word for word of her last position. The obvious answer should be no. Absolutely not she wouldn’t wrap herself up in another war.</p>
<p>Double Trouble’s words only continued to echo in her mind. How much longer <em> would </em>she tolerate being here? She’d been doing nothing but lounge around and tease princesses for months. Every duty they offered her was more pointless as the last. Not to mention that she was pretty sure that everyone was getting sick of her shit, anyway. Even Adora. </p>
<p>“Don’t worry, you’d be accommodated greatly for your contribution,” Double Trouble’s voice brought her out of her thoughts.</p>
<p> “There’s no obligation or requirement to accept. No contract or penalties should you deny the offer or quit if you do decide to come, so don’t worry your pretty little head about it. The only binding rule is that you be loyal to our wonderful Huntara. It’s a sweet deal if you ask me.” </p>
<p>“What kind of things would I be doing?”</p>
<p>“Mm, that’s a question for Huntara, love. I am but a messenger. She gives me her orders and I deliver to whoever needs to hear it.”</p>
<p>“So you’re not out on the battlefield?” Catra smirked.</p>
<p>“Goodness, no! I would <em> never </em>dirty my hands with work like that. We have dashing rouges for that,” the lizard person stated after a gasp.</p>
<p>Catra rolled her eyes and leaned against the desk. “I don’t know about this. You seem very nonchalant for someone asking for such a big favor.”</p>
<p>“First off, not a favor. You’re getting paid. Second off, you don’t have to give me an answer now. I’m here for another day, kitten. Go on and sleep on it. Come find me when you make up your mind.”</p>
<p>Double Trouble stood from their chair and pushed their hair back. “Now if you excuse me, I have other matters to attend to.”</p>
<p>“Like what?” Catra inquired, not understanding what “other matters” Double Trouble could possibly be addressing.</p>
<p>“That’s not on a need to know basis, kitten. A magician never reveals their secrets. If you truly want to know, you’ll have to stay for the final act.”</p>
<p>With that, the lizard person strutted out the door as if they hadn’t just told Catra the most mysterious answer she’d ever heard. She immediately went to follow them, but as soon as she reached the door, they were gone.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. It's Not You</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adora was getting tired of late night shenanigans. Sleep was already difficult as it is. Being constantly interrupted and staying up late wasn’t exactly doing wonders for her health (both mentally and physically). Because of this, when she was stirred awake by the shuffling of someone moving around the room, Adora was anything but pleased. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>From sound alone, Adora could tell who it was. After all, she’d spent much of her life listening to those particular footsteps sneak around the Freight Zone. Not to mention that within seconds of coming to consciousness, Adora could immediately tell that Catra wasn’t in bed. The blonde blinked several times, adjusting her vision to the darkness as she sat up. It wasn’t too out of the ordinary for Catra to grab a midnight snack. Usually she was quiet, but hey, can’t be perfect every time.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora scanned the room, remnants of her Horde training taking over as she began trying to make sense of her surroundings. She was obviously in her room with no apparent danger, though something seemed off. It was too bright. She rubbed her eyes and squinted to where an abundance of moonlight was illuminating the room. Much to her surprise, the balcony doors were wide open, letting the crisp night air trickle in. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There, standing in the middle of the balcony, was Catra. The brunette was faced away from Adora, completely still as she stared off into the distance. She was dressed entirely in black; her usual long form fitting tights accenting a dark halter top that stopped at her midsection. Her normal wild, messy hair was haphazardly pulled back into a ponytail, exposing the nape of her neck. Even from afar, Adora could see the mark left behind from Horde Prime’s chip.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And as if the choice of clothing and style wasn’t weird enough, Catra was holding a large burlap sack in one hand which she quickly swung over one shoulder. She took a deep breath and straightened her back, seemingly hyping herself up for whatever she was doing next. Adora wasn’t going to wait any longer.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Catra?” Adora called out, voice gravelly. The feline visibly flinched, hunching over slightly as she slowly spun around. Her face was expressionless but her eyes were nothing less than emotional. Adora could practically feel the sadness and guilt pouring out of them. Now beginning to be concerned, Adora tossed off the covers and went to stand.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you doing?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m leaving,” Catra replied, deadpan.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Leaving? To where?” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The Crimson Waste,” she replied, shrugging as if it were obvious. Adora widened her eyes, a mixture of shock and confusion. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I thought Double Trouble said that Huntara didn’t want anyone to help her?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Change of plans.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“O-oh. Okay. I’ll come with you! Why didn’t you tell me? Just give me a moment, I can be ready in like ten min-” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No,” Catra harshly cut her off. Adora froze mid step, caught off hard from the stern command. The magicat stiffened up, realizing the effects of her tone and softened her voice. “I’m going alone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What are you talking about? You don’t seriously think I’m going to let you go by yourself,” Adora tried to laugh, only for it to come out as a nervous breath. “This is the Crimson Waste we’re talking about.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t matronize me! This isn’t up for debate, Adora. I’m leaving and you can't stop me. Need I repeat myself for the third time?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, excuse me for being surprised and confused as to why I wake up in the middle night to find you with a bag over your shoulder about to leave without saying a word! What’s going on? Catra, please,” Adora tentatively came over to the feline, taking her hand. “Tell me what’s going on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra’s gaze fell onto Adora’s hand as she slowly laced their fingers together. Adora was gripping hers rather tightly; a telltale sign of desperation and worry. Catra would be lying if she said this didn’t hurt. Part of the reason she was hoping to slip out without detection was to avoid this very situation. Now she had to be a bigger asshole than she already was. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She carefully brought their conjoined hands to her forehead, pressing against them momentarily before completely detaching from Adora and stepping back. Catra awkwardly held her sack with both hands and turned her head away from the woman across from her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I can’t be here anymore. Brightmoon..this whole </span>
  <em>
    <span>princess </span>
  </em>
  <span>thing.. I’ve never fit in with it. The whole lovey-dovey friendship thing isn’t for me. Believe me, I tried. But honestly, I should’ve done this a long time ago. I only stayed because of you. I know now I need to think of myself, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Looking up at Adora proved to be a big mistake. Her lips were quivering, cerulean eyes heavy with tears. Catra flexed her hands to keep her emotions at bay as her tail drooped. “You couldn’t have done anything. Besides, I see the look Sparkles gives me. Bet she’ll be glad to see I’m finally gone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t say that! Glimmer doesn’t have anything against you,” Adora protested, more panic in her voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Psh, yeah and I was born yesterday,” Catra snorted. “You’re the only reason she hasn’t teleported me into next week. Tell me, when was the last time she didn’t scowl at me when I entered a room?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s what I thought. Now, if you’re done trying to convince me that everything is fine in paradise, I really better be going. DT is waiting for me out there. You know how they are about time management.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait! Please!” Adora sobbed, this time clutching to Catra’s shirt with a death grip when she tried to step away. “I-If Brightmoon doesn’t work, take me with you! I don’t care where it is. Crimson Waste or no. I can’t lose you, Catra.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Adora,” the feline cupped the blonde’s chin, using her thumb to wipe some of the falling tears. “You already have.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Why are you doing this?” Adora whimpered under Catra’s touch. “Why now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Figured it was time. I’ve suffered long enough.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You can’t say you don’t love me,” the blonde said at a whisper. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra sucked in a breath, fully turning her back to Adora as she strolled toward the edge of the balcony. “Not anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora said nothing, unable to form coherent words while tears streamed freely down her cheeks. Catra put a hand on the railing and paused, not even bothering to look at Adora one last time. “Bye, I guess.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At that, the feline swung herself over the railing, disappearing from sight. Adora rushed to the edge, calling her name, but the feline had already vanished into the night. The blonde slowly sunk to the ground, wrapping her arms around her middle as large, choked up sobs escaped her lips. She couldn’t think, she couldn’t move, she could barely breathe. Catra had successfully ripped away Adora’s soul, leaving an empty husk in its place. No pain she’d ever received compared.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For the first time in her life, Adora </span>
  <em>
    <span>wailed. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The embodiment of She-ra, savior of the universe and Etheria’s mightiest hero, </span>
  <em>
    <span>wept. </span>
  </em>
  <span>She was completely and utterly defeated, dignity lost in the cold, bitter air as she lay crumpled on the floor. Everything became dull and numb. She could barely feel her fingers digging harshly into her flesh as she wrapped her arms tighter and tighter around her waist. At some point, the distress reached her stomach, causing Adora to lurch over the side of the balcony and dispel the bile rising in her throat.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Never in her darkest dreams did she think this would become a reality. She was still half convinced that this was all just a terrible dream. An awful, horrible nightmare. Pinching wasn’t doing anything; it was useless against her desensitized skin. There was only one surefire way to escape this hellish dreamscape. On trembling legs, Adora shakily got to her feet, pressing against walls and beams for support as she inched toward the bathroom.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Not bothering to light any candles, Adora stumbled into the washroom, knocking over any contents in her wake as she felt around for the sink. As she felt the ceramic handle between her fingers, she turned the knob and began filling up the basin. Looking up into the mirror, Adora could vaguely make out her tear stained features, reeling back at how weak her reflection was. Somewhere in the back of her mind, </span>
  <em>
    <span>failure failure failure </span>
  </em>
  <span>chanted in her head like some sick mantra. The echoes of doubt and regret grew in volume until her skull was practically rattling. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She grabbed the sides of her head and screamed, plunging her face into the icy water to silence the noise. Just as she’d hoped, the noise became muffled and unintelligible, turning into a faint background chatter she couldn’t make out. Everything else was silenced. Just the slowing pace of her heart beat pulsed softly in her ears. It didn’t take long before her lungs started to burn. Adora struggled against her natural urge to escape for air and forced herself to stay. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only a few more seconds of agony and she could finally break free of this nightmare. She closed her eyes, waiting for the moment until she could be back to normal. That moment never came. Instead, the world around her was weirdly illuminated as tiny vibrations in the ground and liquid disrupted the stillness. Then, a hand roughly grabbed her shoulder, ripping her away from the bowl of water. Adora gasped and fell on her back, coughing and sputtering for air. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora?! Oh my stars, Adora, what were you doing? I heard a scream and I came over as soon as I could-- what happened? Are you okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Vision still blurry, the blonde squinted at the fuzzy shape in front of her, recognizing the purple haired woman that pulled her from the last chance to break free. Glimmer was wide eyed and worried, crouching in front of the blonde with her palms out as if Adora were some crazed animal. Adora didn’t give her another chance to speak as she doubled over again, dry heaving onto the tile. Glimmer flinched back, not wanting to be in any splash zone and scooted toward the door.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you sick? What do you need? Should I call the healer? I can get them in like ten seconds. Just give me the word.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The blonde shook her head, burying her face into her knees with a sniff. Glimmer hesitated, knowing that Adora didn’t have a clean streak of accepting medical help when she needed it, but didn’t feel like this was a sickness causing such a weird reaction. The queen of Brightmoon reached over and grabbed a towel, draping it over Adora’s neck carefully and sat across from her with a hand on her foot.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Can you tell me what’s going on? Why were you dunked face first into water? Oh gosh, there’s blood on your fingers. Adora, what’s going on?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora said nothing, opting to take the towel and bury her face into the fuzzy cloth, instead. Glimmer cracked a small smile, finding the gesture strangely cute despite the worrying situation they were in. She tried uncovering the blonde’s face to talk more directly, only for Adora to wince and shy away from the touch. Glimmer sighed and sat cross legged, not wanting to appear threatening to the warrior on edge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I need to know what’s happening to help you,” she said, softly. “Can you tell me why you were face first in the water?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, the blonde said nothing. Glimmer pursed her lips, not wanting to get frustrated at her friend obviously in need. This wasn’t going anywhere, and as much as it hurt to admit, Glimmer felt helpless with Adora not cooperating. She decided to take a different approach and stood, keeping her movements slow as to not startle Adora.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, I’m going to be right back. I’m going to get-” Adora’s head shot up, eyes crazed at the mention of bringing someone else into this. “It’s okay! Don’t worry, I’m not going to get a doctor. Just stay right here for a sec,” Glimmer immediately added before Adora could freak out again.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After a second of half hearted glaring, Adora sank further into the floor, seemingly satisfied with the response. Glimmer smiled and subtly pulled the plug in the sink, not wanting to risk any second attempts in her absence. In a flash, she teleported away, first searching Adora’s room, then quickly materializing all over the castle for a certain pain in the ass of a woman. Despite going into every room, there was no sign of her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Thankfully, upon her return to Adora, Glimmer was glad to see that the blonde hadn’t moved within the two minutes of being left alone. If Adora acknowledged her presence, she didn’t show it. The queen cleared her throat quietly, still being cautious.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora, I can’t find-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“She left,” Adora interrupted quietly, voice muffled by the towel still pressed against her face. “She’s gone.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wait, Catra?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Just the name alone sent Adora into another round of sobbing. Glimmer didn’t need to be told twice. Without another second to lose, she dropped to her knees, shuffling to Adora to wrap her arms around the blonde. Unlike before, Adora didn’t push away Glimmer’s touch. Instead, she turned to bury her face into Glimmer’s shoulder, letting her hot tears soak into the other woman’s nightshirt. The queen of Brightmoon soothingly stroked the former Horde soldier’s back, allowing the blonde to cling to her clothes like her life depended on it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You’re going to be okay,” she whispered to Adora. “She can’t hurt you anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It’s all my fault,” Adora hiccuped. “I pushed her away.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Adora, no. No, you didn’t do anything. This was all Cat- her choice. You’ve been nothing but attentive and kind and understanding. You couldn’t have fixed </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>mess. She was miserable the moment she came here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“B-but what do I do without her?” the blonde’s voice quivered. “We-We’ve always had each other. I don’t.. I can’t.. Glimmer, please wake me up. I don’t like this dream anymore.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer paused, glancing at the sink as she put two and two together. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She can’t cope with her reality. </span>
  </em>
  <span>It was heartbreaking seeing Adora so devastated. The fact that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Catra, </span>
  </em>
  <span>of all people, to bring Adora to this state was sickening. If Adora wasn’t so fragile, Glimmer would already be half way across the planet to give that girl the whooping she deserved for doing this. Serves her right for abandoning Adora after everything they’d been through. Alas, as much as Glimmer would enjoy going toe to toe with her newly declared enemy, she first had to deal with the mess in her arms. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, this isn’t a dream,” she informed Adora, regretfully. “As much as you don’t want it to be, this is our reality. And yeah, it sucks right now. What Catra did was- </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>awful. But that doesn’t mean you’re alone. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I’m </span>
  </em>
  <span>here and Bow’s here and all of our other friends are here for you. Catra doesn’t define your life. She isn’t the reason you live and breathe. You are your own strong, wonderful person.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Glimmer could feel Adora’s sobs slowly subsiding as they turned into smaller hiccups with the occasional sniff. Though her face was still pressed into the crook of her neck, Adora’s tight grasp lessened and relaxed, opting for a more gentle hold. They stayed that way for a while, both wrapped in each other's embrace in a comfortable silence. Glimmer’s words seemed to have gotten through to the distraught warrior, seeing that Adora had been brought out of her spiraling dark thoughts. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eventually, the two detangled from one another, opting to sit side by side with backs against the wall. Adora still held onto Glimmer’s hand, squeezing it every time she made a movement that could possibly be interpreted as moving away. After the fourth jolt of anxiety from a random twitch, Glimmer retaliated with a squeeze of her own, locking eyes with Adora’s baby blues.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not going anywhere, Adora. Not now, not ever.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora searched Glimmer’s face for insecurities. Scrutinizing every detail for a trace of doubt or deception. Trying to find what the true intention of those words meant. But, no matter how hard she stared, she could only find the pure, loving gaze of a true friend looking back. Though small, though dwarfed by a heavy heart, the smallest pang of warmth flickered within Adora’s frigid body. Glimmer was nothing but earnest. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Promise?” Adora asked, voice hoarse.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Promise,” Glimmer whispered back.</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. To Check Or Not To Check</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Four days. It had been four days since Catra had left Brightmoon. And during those four days, Adora had cut herself off from everyone and refused to see or talk to anyone. Glimmer obviously couldn’t remain attached to Adora’s hip forever, so when she inevitably had to leave to attend to her royal duties, Adora locked the door behind her. Glimmer knew not to take offence; she was sure that it wasn’t personal. Roles reversed, Glimmer would probably want to take some time alone, too. She didn’t really get concerned until Adora stopped eating.</p><p>Glimmer personally took it upon herself to deliver each of Adora’s meals, going through the same routine of knocking on the door, announcing the food, and leaving the tray on the floor three times a day. Initially, the trays or a few items disappeared, indicating that she had <em> something </em>to eat. But, as of late, the untouched trays were piling up.  </p><p>Of course, the first instinct she had was to teleport into the room and check to make sure everything was okay, although such a violation of privacy probably wouldn’t work in anyone’s favor. Besides, Glimmer didn’t want to become <em> that </em>friend and smother Adora. She was torn between respecting personal space and breaching privacy for health concerns. On one hand, Adora could be totally fine and Glimmer bursting in the room in full beast mode would shatter the trust they worked so hard to build. Or, Adora could be in serious trouble and each moment Glimmer spent contemplating to enter further jeopardize her life.</p><p>The internal struggle plagued her mind all morning, fogging up any other thoughts. In fact, Bow had to burst into her study to remind her of the meeting that <em> she </em>organized in the first place with the princesses. After hearing about the trouble with Horde soldiers in the Crimson Waste, she wanted to reevaluate everyone’s opinions on the refugee bill proposed. The princesses had already congregated in the war room, waiting for the Brightmoon residents to show up. Glimmer squeaked and nearly tackled Bow, teleporting the both of them in a flash. </p><p>Being in such a rush, the pair materialized above the table, landing with an audible <em> thud. </em>All six princesses, used to odd entrances the queen often made, were unimpressed, save for Frosta who was the only one who reacted with visible confusion. Glimmer quietly slipped into her seat while Bow pretended as if he wasn’t just body slammed and dropped from a good distance up. </p><p>“Sorry for being late, everyone. Thank you for coming,” the queen said, surprisingly cool. </p><p>“What, so <em> no </em>one is going to mention that she just fell on the table and rolled into her chair like everything is fine?” the ice princess commented, looking around the room for confirmation. Next to her, Netossa gently patted her back, whispering something that Glimmer could only assume was to remind Frosta that she’d seen much worse. Frosta crossed her arms and said nothing more.</p><p>“Right,” Glimmer coughed. “So if that’s all, I’d like to keep this as brief as possible. Last week, Double Trouble explained that former Horde soldiers were starting their own gang. I know that we are about to sign a bill to allow Horde refugees into our kingdoms, so if anyone has any concerns, this is the time to bring them to the table.”</p><p>“Hold on, I have a question,” Mermista interjected, propping her chin into her hand. “We need all princesses to like, agree on this for it to pass, right?”</p><p>“Yes,” Glimmer confirmed.</p><p>“Okay, so, uh, can we still do this? I mean, we are missing one of us,” the blue haired woman gestured to the two empty seats next to Glimmer. The queen glanced around nervously as the other women took notice of the absence. </p><p>“That’s odd. Adora never misses a meeting,” Spinnerella commented, sharing a look with Netossa.</p><p>“IS SHE DEAD?” Frosta shouted, slamming her hands on the table and leaning forward. </p><p>Glimmer flinched and waved her hands frantically. “No no no no no, Adora’s not dead. She couldn’t come today because..” she paused, contemplating how to go about this. “..She’s sick. Yeah, she’s been a little under the weather recently so she’s taking the day off.”</p><p>Perfuma clasped her hands together and smiled. “In that case, why don’t I make her some tea? I have a special herb blend perfect for clearing out the sinuses. It won’t take long to brew.”</p><p>“Oh, you don’t have to do that. She’ll be fine in no time.”</p><p>“Yeah, I bet she’s got Wildcat looking after her,” Scorpia said, cheerfully, draping a pinscor over Perfuma’s shoulder.</p><p>Glimmer grit her teeth, keeping what little patience she had together. “Exactly. Adora is just <em> fine. </em> Everything is <em> fine. </em> Now, can we <em> please </em>get back on topic?”</p><p>“That’s my Catra!” Scorpia continued, completely oblivious to the queen’s building rage. “I always knew she had a good heart. You know, even when she pushed everyone away, I could tell she just wanted love. I <em> was </em>her best friend, after all. So great that she’s grown into a wonderful per-”</p><p>“ENOUGH!” Glimmer snapped. The entire room winced. “I don’t want to hear another word about Catra. In fact, I don’t even want to hear her name! If you like her so much, by all means, be my guest and go follow her into the woods where she left four days ago.”</p><p>Glimmer admittedly didn’t mean to sound so harsh. It wasn’t often she let her temperament take over nowadays, but with the shit storm rolling in, she couldn’t choke it down anymore. Still, it didn’t make it right. With all the princesses taken aback by such an outburst, she looked to Bow for support. His expression wasn’t reassuring. </p><p>“She did what now?” Mermista broke the silence with her signature monotone delivery. </p><p>“Wildcat.. LEFT?” Scorpia abruptly stood from her chair. “She- she left days ago and none of you are going after her?!”<br/>“It was <em>her</em> decision to leave. We do not babysit the people who live here. Everyone is allowed to come and go. I’m not going to send troops to find someone who didn’t want to be here in the first place,” the queen hissed.</p><p>“And? What if she got hurt or lost or in trouble? She’s all alone out there! Did you at least give her a communication pad?”</p><p>“Considering she left in the middle of night without warning anyone, I would say probably not.”</p><p>“Scorpia,” Netossa butted in. “We understand that it is dangerous to travel alone, but this is Catra we’re talking about. She’s a big girl, fully capable of taking care of herself. Glimmer is right. Catra hasn’t been involved in awhile. It’s pointless to send someone after her if she clearly doesn’t want to be bothered.”</p><p>“No! We can’t just.. This isn’t.. Guys?” the scorpioni woman spun around, searching for support. One by one, each princess lowered her gaze or looked away. “Perfuma?”</p><p>The flower princess held her breath, holding an uneasy smile. “I-I believe that we should all take a moment and meditate about this conundrum.”</p><p>“So, that’s it? You’re all just giving up on her?” Scorpia addressed the quiet room. “Well, I’m not! True friends don’t abandon each other. Even if no one else will, <em> I’m </em>going to go after my friend!”</p><p>Scorpia looked at the princesses one last time, tilting her chin up as she marched out of the room. Perfuma immediately vaulted out of her chair, running after her with ineffective pleads to stop. Bow decided he might be needed and trailed after the two, whispering a quiet apology to Glimmer as he did so. The five princesses that were left blinked at each other curiously. </p><p>“Soo I’m going out on a limb here and saying that this meeting is like, totally over,” Mermista inspected her fingernails. Frosta bobbed her head in agreement.</p><p>Glimmer sighed as she sank into her seat, burying her head into her hands in defeat. “Right. You can go if you want.”</p><p>Mermista didn’t need to be told twice. She left the room without a word, Frosta not too far behind. <em> That was a disaster. </em>Glimmer curled up in her seat, contemplating life when a warm hand touched her shoulder. Spinnerella looked at the queen with a bittersweet smile.</p><p>“You doing okay? That was quite an outburst.”</p><p>“Yeah..” Glimmer blew a strand of hair out of her face. “It’s just a mess. It came out of nowhere and Adora.. She shut down. She hasn’t left her room in days.”</p><p>“Broken heart,” Netossa said behind her wife. Spinnerella nodded and wrapped an arm around Netossa’s waist.</p><p>“Those can be hard to fix, especially for Adora. Those two were very close. However, that doesn’t mean it’s a lost cause. She needs her friends, Glimmer. Even if she says otherwise, sulking by herself won’t do her any good.”</p><p>Glimmer sucked in a breath, smoothing her hair back with one hand. “You think?”</p><p>“We know,” Netossa answered.</p><p>-</p><p>“Adora?” Glimmer knocked on the blonde’s door. “I have lunch. It’s your favorite.”</p><p>Per usual, there was no answer. It was expected, yes, although it didn’t make it any less disappointing not seeing her. There was nothing Glimmer wouldn’t give to have Adora throw open the door with a smile. To hear her laugh. To feel her comforting arms wrap around her. Glimmer shook her head. Now was not the time for <em> those </em>thoughts. </p><p>“Adora, you can’t stay in there forever. I’m going to come in, okay? I just want to make sure you’re alright. If you don’t want me to, please tell me now.”</p><p>Again, no response. The queen of Brightmoon straightened her back, mentally preparing herself for what lay just beyond the door. Who was she kidding, she just spent an hour doing just that in the bathroom. With another deep breath, she closed her eyes and teleported in the room. What she saw wasn’t expected, though thankfully not jarring.</p><p>It wasn’t trashed or in a disarray like a crime scene. Rather, it was exactly like she left it last. Other than the disheveled sheets on Adora’s bed and a neat stack of trays by the door, there was nothing else out of place. Even the balcony doors were still open. As for the blonde, well, that was a different story. Adora was sitting on the floor against her bed frame, head tilted back to stare at the ceiling. Her face was blank and devoid of any emotion, whatever spark behind her eyes completely gone.</p><p>As Glimmer got closer, she could see that Adora was still in the same clothes. They were wrinkled and stained, parts of it torn or ripped open. Most shockingly, her hair, which was always pinned and poofed to perfection, was tangled, matted, and dull. In the dim light, Glimmer could barely make it out to be blonde. Her skin looked weirdly shaded too, although considering the current state of her, Glimmer liked to assume it was from a lack of washing. Hopefully.</p><p>The queen knelt down next to Adora, careful not to make sudden movements or unwarranted touches. “Hey, Adora. You doing okay?”</p><p>“Don’t,” the blonde mumbled.</p><p>“Don’t what?”</p><p>“Don’t say that,” she said, a bit louder. </p><p>“Oh, right. Sorry, I didn’t mean to say that,” Glimmer apologized, resting on the backs of her heels. “I was just coming in to check on you. ”</p><p>Adora said nothing, continuing to gaze off into the distance. Glimmer bit her lip, coming to terms that this would mostly be a one sided conversation and set down the food tray. “Can you eat? You have to be starving.”</p><p>The blonde shook her head ever so slightly, letting a small exhale escape her lips. Glimmer would be lying if she said it wasn’t a foul smell. Truthfully, the entire room stunk. With Adora presumably not bathing and stacks of rotting food in the corner, the smell was anything but pleasant. Even so, Glimmer wasn't going to let all that discourage her.</p><p>“You know what? I think you could do well with a bath. Feeling clean always makes me feel better,” she said, softly, careful not to sound too matronizing. The blonde surprisingly didn’t resist when Glimmer took her hands, willingly getting to her feel when the queen hoisted her up. She made what sounded like a squeak upon standing upright, though didn’t try to push away from Glimmer’s hold. Glimmer took it as a sign that she was okay with the idea and led her to the bathroom. </p><p>“Just tell me if you get uncomfortable at all,” Glimmer told her as Adora slumped against the Bathroom door. “I’ll get you when it’s ready.”</p><p>The purple haired girl hurried inside, scowling when she remembered the mess they left behind. She had forgotten that Adora knocked everything on the counter onto the floor. Nevertheless, Glimmer sifted through all the products on the ground, tossing any and all cleaning products into the tub. Once satisfied with the amount, she began filling the tub with scalding water per Adora’s liking. Truth be told, she didn’t know how Adora could withstand such temperatures. Glimmer couldn’t even stick a finger in it without burning. </p><p>Once the room was properly steamed up, Glimmer wandered back over to Adora who was staring off into space again. She tapped her shoulder, crouching down to her level. “You ready to get in? The water is good to go.”</p><p>Again, Glimmer took Adora’s hands, pulling her to her feet. “I’ll go wait outside while you change. There’s a fluffy towel hanging on the rack, so when you’re done, just come get-”</p><p>“No,” the blonde mumbled.</p><p>“No?” Glimmer repeated, not understanding. Did she not want the bath, after all? </p><p>“Stay.”</p><p>She said it so quietly, Glimmer almost didn’t catch it. Although, when Adora tightened her grip on Glimmer’s hands, it was impossible to mistake. Glimmer almost immediately stiffened up at the realization. She came in here to do anything she could to help Adora, yes, but to bathe her? That was something she <em> definitely </em>wasn’t prepared for. Her cheeks flushed at the mere thought of it. </p><p>
  <em> Adora is asking me for this. This is for her. </em>
</p><p>“Okay,” Glimmer said at a whisper. She tugged at Adora’s nightshirt and looked up into her baby blues. “Then let’s get this off, alright? Lift your arms.”</p><p>The blonde complied, raising her limbs above her head as the queen slipped off the garment, tossing it to the floor. She still had a breast band remaining, although Glimmer decided it would be best (for better or for worse) to leave it on. Instead, she gestured to Adora’s pants, getting the warrior to raise one leg at a time so she could tug them off. </p><p>Though not completely naked, Glimmer couldn’t help but gape at the toned body before her. Everyone knew that Adora was quite strong, but Glimmer didn’t realize just how <em> muscular </em>the blonde was. Adora was perfectly sculpted. She had muscles in all the right places, rippling under her skin with each movement. They were proportioned with frightening accuracy, no limb or quadrant larger or smaller than its counterpart. It didn’t look like she had an ounce of fat on her. Glimmer had to practically slap herself to keep from running a finger down her curves.</p><p>And on top of all that, despite never venturing outside without covering, she didn’t even have a single tan line! Everything was even and consistent. Glimmer grumbled to herself and brought Adora to the edge of the tub before she started complaining about her annoyingly flawless body. Thankfully, Glimmer didn’t need to do much coercing, seeing that Adora just instinctively stepped into the water. While she got settled, Glimmer grabbed a cup and hair product, displaying them to Adora as she kneeled beside her. The last thing she needed was Adora freaking out because of unknown substances.</p><p>Much to Glimmer’s relief, Adora did not run for hills upon being washed. If anything, she slowly began to relax as Glimmer ran her fingers through her hair, carefully detangling any lingering knots. “You doing alright?” she hummed.</p><p>The blonde nodded, letting a content sigh escape her lips. She sunk a little further into the water, tilting her head back to give Glimmer better access. The queen diligently scrubbed and massaged the blonde’s scalp, doing her best to return it to it’s normal golden state. The murky water slowly turning brown was a good indicator that she was at least doing <em> something </em>right. When her hair was finally done, she moved to clean the rest of her body, rubbing soap on all the places that were in desperate need of a scrub. She leaned the blonde forward, preparing to scrub down Adora’s body, but stopped when a peculiar set of markings caught her eye. </p><p>Adora’s scars. </p><p>More specifically, the large claw marks that ran down the length of her back. There were ten lines in all; five on each side. They’d faded a lot, no longer being red and puffy like Glimmer had seen when the doctor treated them years ago, although the same bubbling rage formulating inside her hadn’t changed. How could Catra do something like this? She always claimed that they were never enemies despite being on different sides of the war for so long, but Glimmer couldn’t understand how a “friend” could do something like this.</p><p>And it wasn’t even just the back scars. It was every scuff and mark on Adora’s body. Every single horrible imprint Catra left for Adora would forever burden her. That, in Glimmer’s opinion, was one of the cruelest marks to leave. </p><p>Before she could even stop herself, Glimmer found she had placed her fingertips on Adora’s back, tracing down the length of her scar. The pinkish grooves felt rough and tight compared to the smooth skin around it. And for a reason Glimmer cannot understand to this day, she leaned forward, tentatively pressing her lips against the faded markings. Maybe it was because of the emotions. Maybe it was maternal instinct. Or maybe it was just because all she wanted was peace for Adora.</p><p>Either way, it happened. By the time she registered what just happened, Adora was already turning around, facing the queen. She bore her baby blues straight into Glimmer’s soul. “Glimmer,” she said, hoarsely. </p><p>Glimmer inhaled sharply, knowing what this kind of addressal meant. She had violated Adora’s space so flippantly without asking. Of course she would be upset! <em> Stupid, Glimmer. Stupid! Look what you’ve done. She’s going to- </em></p><p>She didn’t even have time to finish the thought as Adora suddenly grabbed Glimmer’s arm, yanking her into the water. The queen yelped, awkwardly tumbling in face first from the pull. If the blonde was expecting something more graceful, she certainly didn't get it. Adora expressed a doleful look as she surfaced, scooting forward to wrap Glimmer in a tight embrace. What came next brought Glimmer’s world to a halt.</p><p>“Thank you.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Back To Paradise</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Catra will be getting chapters to herself now that she's away, but don't worry! The main focus will still be on our Brightmoon residents.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“So you just ditched her in the middle of the night? Wow, kitten, I didn’t take you to be such a heartbreaker.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra rolled her eyes. “Surprise surprise, I’m an asshole.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, everyone knows </span>
  <em>
    <span>that. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I’m just saying that it’s very queer that after all those years pining after your “soulmate”, you dropped Adora like deadweight,” Double Trouble giggled. “I guess there wasn’t enough sexual tension to keep you in Brightmoon, hmm?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cram it. I didn’t ask for commentary.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The lizard person winked, a smug grin on their face as they leaned forward to check on the fire. The pair were currently settled in a small clearing deep within the Whispering Woods, flanking a small campfire to rival the chilly night air. After originally jumping from her balcony, Catra found Double Trouble in the tree line and accompanied them as they started their journey to the Crimson Waste. </span>
</p>
<p><span>The first few days of travel were absolutely miserable, being that Double Trouble wanted nothing more than to pry into Catra’s private life while Catra didn’t want anything to do with talking. She admittedly hissed every time they opened their mouth, which eventually prompted a very awkward forty eight hours of utter silence. Then again, it wasn’t </span><em><span>too </span></em><span>bad considering Adora was the last</span> <span>thing she wanted to talk about.</span></p>
<p>
  <span>Although, there was only so long one could go without social interaction. Eventually, Catra caved in, slowly allowing light conversation to fill the time. Unfortunately for her, Double Trouble never settled for idle chit-chat. The night she didn’t threaten to slit their throat for talking, they immediately launched into a flurry of questions, wanting all details from her ‘marvelous declaration of solitude’. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Usually she’d just stalk off to avoid the touchy subject, but it was too cold to be separated from the fire and Catra wasn’t willing to freeze her tail off because of some stupid questions. So, despite her intense desire to throttle Double Trouble, she indulged their inquiries. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So was she disappointed? Infuriated? Resentful? Come now, you </span>
  <em>
    <span>have </span>
  </em>
  <span>to tell me the look on her face,” Double Trouble laced their fingers together, staring expectantly at the feline.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra lolled her head back and groaned, staring up into the dark sky. “I dunno. It was dark.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Were there tears?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you think?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What about futile attempts to get you back? Did she beg?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“If I say yes, will you shut up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Double Trouble sighed and slicked back their hair. “Oh, come on, love. Throw me a bone here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Last time I checked, I wasn’t in charge of babysitting you,” Catra said, bluntly. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We can change that,” the lizard person winked, morphing into a small goat child. “Would it please you if we traveled the rest of the way like this?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you </span>
  <em>
    <span>want </span>
  </em>
  <span>to die?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Easy, kitten. Here, let’s try something a little more.. you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra continued to growl as Double Trouble sat right across from her with a devious look, obviously amused with her frustration. She was readying to push them into the fire, but was stopped when they shapeshifted into a form that brought her world to a halt. It was a cat person like she was, or rather, a cat </span>
  <em>
    <span>child </span>
  </em>
  <span>that she wagered was probably no older than twelve. Their fur was a lighter shade of brown than Catra’s, although the small dash of freckles along their cheeks and a small lopsided smile all mirrored her own.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But that wasn’t what made her freeze. Their hair and eyes-- brilliant cerulean orbs accented by long, golden locks-- were all Adora’s. Everything from the natural blonde highlights to the shade of blue were </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly </span>
  </em>
  <span>hers. Unnerved by the sight, Catra’s fur instinctively bristled. Coming face to face with something so close to </span>
  <em>
    <span>her </span>
  </em>
  <span>after days without even mentioning her name was anything but pleasant. And it wasn’t just that. If she didn’t know any better, it almost looked like..</span>
</p>
<p><span>Catra immediately sprang forward and tackled the shapeshifter, pinning their arms to the ground. “What the fuck is this!?”</span><span><br/>
</span> <span>The strange (but not so unfamiliar?) cat child beneath her began to laugh with a raspy, high pitched tone. “I take it you’re not too fond, hm? I thought you’d be a fan of your own mini-me.”</span></p>
<p>
  <span>“Not when it’s supposed to be something out of your twisted imagination,” Catra hissed. “Now, listen closely, because I’ll only say this once.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The former Force Captain jabbed a knee into the shapeshifter’s gut, pulling their head upward by the hair as she bared her fangs. “What me and Adora had is over. Gone. Extinguished. She is no longer important anymore. Unless whatever we happen to be doing, </span>
  <em>
    <span>for some fucking reason, </span>
  </em>
  <span>involves the mentioning of her name, I want you to pretend she doesn’t exist. And that includes morphing into any kind of sick love child you think would look like us. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>For the first time in probably ever, Double Trouble didn’t retaliate with some vexing remark. Instead they rolled their eyes, remaining surprisingly quiet as Catra released them from her hold. She watched as they quickly sat up, shifting back into their normal self while dusting themself off. “Ugh, killjoy. Have it your way.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra crawled back to her tiny bundle of bedding on the other side of the fire, trying to ignore the whirlwind of emotions going through her head. She was doing this to get </span>
  <em>
    <span>away </span>
  </em>
  <span>from the whole Adora situation. Perhaps it was just Double Trouble’s weird obsession with everyone’s dirty secrets, but she had a feeling that her history wouldn’t be leaving any time soon. After all, she’d spent so long solidifying her unification to the blonde, so obviously everyone associated Catra with her. Now that Catra had privately broken her ties, it was her turn to make a statement to the world.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The Crimson Waste has no idea what’s coming</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>--</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Despite hyping herself the entire rest of the way there, Catra wasn’t sure how to feel as she and Double Trouble entered the desert. It was a land of mixed emotions. On one hand, it was the first place that she ever felt completely… happy. For First One’s sake, in only a matter of hours upon her arrival, she had the biggest gang in the Waste’ in the palm of her hands. It was more powerful than she had ever felt and been than her entire life in the Horde. Not to mention the amazing parties and celebrations they threw in her name.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>But then there was Adora.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Adora who single handedly ruined one of the best moments in her life. Adora who </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>to drag her back into her crazy world. Adora who just couldn’t let go. It made her wonder what life would’ve been like had she not intruded. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Probably would’ve never left.</span>
  </em>
  <span> All she needed was a socially awkward scorpioni woman and everything would be as they were. She was being handed an army, after all (At least, that’s what she assumes is happening).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Anything on your mind, kitten?” the lizard person hummed, seeing her lost in thought.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Nothing that would interest you,” Catra retorted, squatting down to inspect the new sand they’d walked on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Doubtful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Whatever. We’re entering a quicksand prone area. Keep your eyes peeled.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aww, look at you and your survival instincts,” Double Trouble cooed. “It’s almost like you care about me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Dream on. Just don’t need you to slow me down.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Won’t be a problem, honey. I’m not one of those ditzy princesses. Friendly reminder that I </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>live here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh yeah,” Catra stood up, flicking her tail. “You grew up here, didn’t you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Double Trouble tossed their hair over one shoulder. “Born and raised.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Do you have any family or anything?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Family?? Oh, darling, you’re too precious,” the shapeshifter laughed, shaking their head as they walked past. “Who needs family when you have clients?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra rolled her eyes and followed. She should’ve known better than to ask. In the two years that they’d been acquainted, Catra had accumulated a grand total of two pieces from Double Trouble’s past. They were from the Crimson Waste and they’ve traveled to nearly every city for work. That was it. No childhood stories or mentions of important figures in their life. Catra was half convinced that DT didn’t even have a childhood and just popped into existence as they were. It would explain a lot, although that wasn’t her main concern right now. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Isn’t the hideout that way?” Catra jabbed her thumb the opposite direction Double Trouble was leading her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Old news, love. Huntara’s got a new place nowadays,” the lizard person said, flippantly. “It’s a </span>
  <em>
    <span>lot </span>
  </em>
  <span>better than the dump Tung Lashor was in. Trust me. Did you </span>
  <em>
    <span>see </span>
  </em>
  <span>his man cave?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Er- no?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Good. It was awful. Just you wait till you see where we are now.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra, though skeptical, gave DT the benefit of the doubt seeing that the further they traveled, the more she recognized the territory. Well, more like landmarks. It was hard to have a sense of direction when the entire place was sand and rock. Regardless, when she did finally realize where they were going, she was practically bouncing in excitement. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The Pit, as she liked to call it, was actually where she and Double Trouble met for the first time. Failing her mission to retrieve the First One’s ship aside, it was a personal victory to properly dupe Adora with her brand new asset: DT. To be back in that element was something she didn’t know she was hungering for until now. Catra sprinted the last few meters to the edge and peered down at the giant pit with eyes full of wonder.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>To Double Trouble’s credit, the place </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>been upgraded since she saw it last. What was once a mere thieves hideout had basically become a fully sized functioning community. Along the walls, dozens of platforms with homes and storefronts ran around the inside of the hole, all connected to each other with ladders, ropes, and slides. Perfuma’s enormous vine spire (the one she erected with cacti and roots to lift the First One’s ship) had effectively become a structural column that held up numerous bridges stretching across the space. Every single amount of available space had and did become a useful part of their “city”.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Even some of the softer rock had been mined into tunnels. Catra could see a rigging system supplying a steady flow of minerals and stone to various tents to presumably be processed. Looking closer, there were rigging systems everywhere. Some cables went up and down the walls to deliver goods to upper levels, and others ran along the bridges for cross-pit transfers. It almost looked like the intricate interconnected lines on a spider web. To say it was impressive was an understatement.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Like what you see?” Double Trouble purred, coming up beside her. “Judging by your face, I’ll assume it's a yes.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What do you think? This place looks amazing!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Mhm. You can thank your former comrades. A lot of the Horde defects designed most of what you see. They can be quite insightful when they want to be,” the shapeshifter said, inspecting their claws.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I don’t care who built it. It's all about who runs it,” the feline spat, jumping head first over the edge.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra soared through the air, deafened by the rushing wind blowing past her fur as she descended into the hole. After a few seconds of freefall, she caught one of the slacklines, using the swing of her momentum to fling herself onto a nearby bridge. It creaked and wobbled under the sudden impact, but Catra didn’t care. She was too drunk on adrenaline and exhilaration to be concerned with safety. Instead, she crouched on all fours, speeding off as fast as her limbs could carry her. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Obviously a random cat girl sprinting across the bridge raised some alarm, though no one tried to stop her. Those in her path did their best to move out of the way, and when they couldn’t, Catra simply dropped onto another bridge and continued running. The cacophony of voices questioning her motives only made things more fun. Truthfully, she didn’t even have a destination or goal in mind. It was all instinct and the thirst for exploration pumping through her veins. Not to say that was a necessarily bad thing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After around seven or eight levels (Catra wasn’t really counting), she was finally confronted by one of the residents. A red, scaly bandit clad in tarnished rags and leathers darted in front of her path, producing a large dagger aimed at her head. Catra barely slowed herself down as she pushed her foot out, skidding into the man’s legs to topple him. He fell over rather ungracefully, nearly crashing on top of the feline as he tumbled to the ground. Catra had to tuck into a roll to avoid contact. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Unfortunately for her, as soon as she was over that hurdle, three more greeted her at the end of the bridge. Five more waited below if she jumped. Not technically surrounded, but close enough to feel trapped. She reflexively unsheathed her claws and bared her fangs at the rouges, making herself look as big as possible. It was pleasing to see them hesitate, just for a moment. She was about ready to enter an all out brawl until an all too familiar velvety voice echoed behind her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Careful, kitten. We seem to have an audience.” </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I swear to Despondos, </span>
  <em>
    <span>how </span>
  </em>
  <span>many times do I have to tell you to shut-” Catra whirled around and snarled, ready to tear into… Huntara? </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Well, it was who Catra </span>
  <em>
    <span>assumed </span>
  </em>
  <span>to be Huntara. She’d never actually seen the woman in real life. That being said, Catra had no doubt in her mind that the giant figure before her was none other than the gang leader herself. Plus, considering that Double Trouble was standing a few paces away with the biggest shit eating grin she had ever seen, it was hard to mistake.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, well, well. If it isn’t the one and only She-Runt.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The woman was HUGE. Even though she was several meters away, Huntara loomed over the feline like a mountain. Her shadow </span>
  <em>
    <span>alone </span>
  </em>
  <span>contained more authority than Catra would ever have. Just being in her presence immediately put a damper in Catra’s mood. Double Trouble (and Adora) mentioned that Huntara was a fairly muscular person, but she didn’t expect her to be </span>
  <em>
    <span>this </span>
  </em>
  <span>big. She could practically rival She-ra herself. No wonder DT spoke highly of her. Even so, Catra wasn’t going to let this stranger mess with her head.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Problem?” Catra narrowed her bicolored eyes at the warrior.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Huntara flashed a wide grin and extended her hand to the feline. “Not at all. Welcome back to the Waste’. We’re glad to have you here.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Catra, thrown off guard by her kindness, bit her tongue to not squeak as Huntara crushed her hand. “Pleasure’s all mine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>With a deep belly laugh, Huntara playfully slapped Catra’s back (which nearly threw her over the edge) and turned to face the people of the Pit. “Criminals and thieves! It seems that we have ourselves a legend tonight. A new addition that will help us strike down those Horde rebels for good. Make sure to welcome she who conquered Tung Lashor!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Almost immediately, all distant chatter ceased. Conveyor lines stopped. People running goods across bridges froze. Hundreds of heads previously obstructed from view popped over the edge, desperate to catch a glimpse of the feline. Everyone seemed to be in awe. Catra couldn’t see a single person not entranced by her presence. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Did I really leave this much of an impact on this place?</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t take long for her question to be answered. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Come on, lovelies,” Double Trouble clapped their hands. “You know her name.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>First, no one said anything. Then, in a matter of seconds, the entire Pit broke out in a cheer. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Catra! Catra! Catra! Catra! </span>
  </em>
  <span>They chanted her name like a mantra. Every single person, be it a thug or child, had her name on their lips as if she could bring them their greatest wish. Articles of clothing were tossed over ledges. Whoops and hollers filled the air. Some were even crying. Never before had Catra received such an enthusiastic welcome. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Back in Brightmoon, people never would’ve welcomed her so warmly. Her blunt personality and defensive nature was labeled as problematic But here… here such behaviors were </span>
  <em>
    <span>encouraged.</span>
  </em>
  <span> People like her were regarded with the highest amount of respect. Just being herself earned the approval of an entire city. It was she, not Adora, who was admired by hundreds. She, not Adora, who was going to become a goddess to the people.  </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yes, Catra was going to like it here. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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